by Ethel Mortenson Davis
The old poet,
thrown out,
weeps across
the desert
until he climbs
the rim of the canyon,
and there he takes
a page from his book
and writes,
“There is a canyon people
who celebrate the first laugh
of their children.”
fourwindowspress 
I absolutely love this, Thomas! What a wonderful idea! to celebrate a child’s first laugh. Thank you for this poem
I mean Ethel! (sorry about that).
This is my new favorite of yours, Ethel – I love it! So very, very powerful, as all your poems are. It says so much, so succinctly….
Once again, “it’s just so beautiful!”
So much packed into so few words. I think this is wonderful.
You know, Thomas, the poems coming from both you and Ethel are like little miracles (and hello Ethel). Poetry is about letting the earth speak. Words, blotches as hieroglyphs, transformed. There is a word in Spanish ‘duende’. (Perhaps you know this; in fact I’m sure you do; just a reminder…) Here’s how Garcia Lorca ends ‘The Theory and Play of ‘The Duende’.
‘Where is the duende? Through the empty archway a wind of the spirit enters, blowing insistently over the heads of the dead, in search of new landscapes and unknown accents: a wind with the odor of a child’s saliva, crushed grass, and medusa’s veil, announcing the endless baptism of freshly created things.’
My love to you both.
Jim Kleinhenz
What a meaningful, thoughful comment Jim. Your poetry is so learned and so intensely done from both craftsmanship and artistic (and sometimes humorous and sometimes serious) directions that it amazes me. John Stevens led me to read your work, and I am grateful to him for having done so. I am just starting to work through your poems, and it will take awhile, but I am enjoying the effort.
This is a delight Ethel.
I love a poem which leaves me with a warm glow 🙂
David
There is so much beauty to be seen through the eyes of the aged – most who once were those laughing children
Sweet!
A joyful celebration of life and poetry.
Enormously touching: out of grief can come the wisdom that teaches us to genuinely treasure joy. Beautiful.
Kathryn
A true poem, the idea is so beautiful. there is something tender about the poem. Thank you it has touched me. xx