The ground is our enduring hope. First came months of a relentless scorching that lasted beyond any reckoning we have ever known. The earth grew angry, strangled many things. Then came a time when geese arrived back in our skies and on the shyly lapping shores of our lakes. In black night geese’s blasts shake stars. Between those two times, earth’s orbit Tilted us away from the sun. The fibers of satsuma spiders in vibrating webs, dew as it drenches fields even sheets of paper on desks feel this the removal of sun’s intensity. Feel That decrease lift in every cell. Such loss is gain Held in quiet and in speech upon our tongues.
Ed Ruzicka has published three full-length books of poetry, most recently, “Squalls” (Kelsey Press, 2024). Ed’s poems have appeared in the Atlanta Review, the Chicago Literary Review, Rattle, Canary and have received Pushcart nominations. Ed, who is also the president of the Poetry Society of Louisiana, lives with his wife, Renee, in Baton Rouge.