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[wiselilraccoon]

Broom Zen

Charles' mother is dying.
He has planed
800 miles.
Now he sweeps
Her kitchen.
Back home this is his
After-dinner chore.
He sweeps the hall,
2 seconds per stroke
By the mantle clock.
"Get the stairs while
You're at it,"
His father says.
He sweeps the living room
And the porch.
He sweeps the lawn.

His mother is awake.
She asks of his plans.
He talks of job changes.
She takes out 3 papers
And crunches numbers
On the first.
Charles makes
Clarifying calculations
On the second.
She rests.

And Charles waltzes the broom.

He spreads out the pages--
Her handwriting, his;
The choreography of cursive.
And one more...
He takes the unused page,
With a pause for
All symphonies in the ether,
Unwritten,
And drags his dustpile
Onto the page
With his mother's broom.

--Wren Tuatha   http://wiselittleraccoon.gaia.com/

[saw]

I loved the symbolism of the 3 pages, ....the cleaning that's going on at this difficult time, .....the dustpile, his mother's broom .....powerful images to deal with impending death and a mother and son's relationship ...enjoyed the
"choreography of cursive" .....nicely crafted...

[theirishsea]

Another nice poem. You excel in getting the homey non-poetic detail into a metaphor for a larger reality----or maybe it is just revealing the snmall actions and gestures and things of life as emotional-psychological-spiritual counters on the cosmic playboard.

[Light Haven]

Strong poem.

[azure]

I read your poem last night, and enjoyed it alot.  It tells a whole story, and the meanings of the three pages is very strong within your poem.