Jennifer Horne is both a homebody who loves her house on a lake in the woods, and a traveler who is always thinking about her next trip. The author of six books, most recently Letters to Little Rock: Poems, and a biography, Odyssey of a Wandering Mind: The Strange Tale of Sara Mayfield, Author, she also has edited five volumes of poetry, essays, and stories. She served as the twelfth Poet Laureate of Alabama, 2017-2021. Her web page, “A Map of the World,” is at: https://jenhorne.com/. You can find her on Instagram at @eyewitnesspoet.
Wanting to Open the Mysterious Wooden Door Next to the Sign That Says POEMS
A week in Hydra,
tucked on a terrace.
Read. Write. Rest.
Ponder. Wander.
Amble. Sample.
Ample time.
Arriving on
the island, I felt
deeply tired within.
Oldish and stoutish. Too
responsible. Too public.
A little sad.
Pour water
on the soul’s dry ground.
Open the pores of the day
to healing sun, helios.
Write your poem.
The poem will open the door.
Sounds of Hydra
Chirping of sparrows,
cooing of mourning doves,
mrows of cats,
whoosh-whisper of wind,
boom-whistle of cruise ship,
clink of sailboat tackle,
bark of dog,
carillon of church bells,
clop-clop-clop of donkey hooves,
rapid burst of Greeks greeting,
creak of awning in wind,
clap of sudden thunder,
caress of raindrops,
caw of seagulls,
clank-tap of hammer,
wail of cranky child,
crow of rooster,
swoosh of broom on sidewalk,
slap of soles on stone,
scrape of taverna chair,
clatter of dropped cutlery,
hiss of opened bottle.
Click of closing door,
flop of notebook page,
faint sound of pen on paper,
listening in words.
Recovery
The donkey hooves
on cobblestones
sound like a rapid
ping-pong game,
like Henry Miller
playing table tennis
here on Hydra with
Ghika the artist.
Yesterday
we watched
a donkey
slip and fall
on rain-slick stones,
struggle, muscled,
straining, to rise,
then slip again,
this time in desperation.
Heaving, he summoned
his righting strength
and stood, exhausted.
We all cheered.
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All poems and text on this post: © Jennifer Horne
Published with the permission of Jennifer Horne