Member-only story
POETRY
Life
What chutzpah!
Note: Below the poem is an audio clip of the author reading the poem.
What is this puny stick that
has the audacity to spoil my view
of the green-blue water of Lake Louise
and the majestic rock face that
stands watch above?
Does this twig have aspirations of
achieving the grandeur of
the trees at my back?
As I write these thoughts
— smack —
squadrons of mosquitoes
harry my face and hands.
Beside me are small yellow flowers.
Something, somewhere smells sweet.
How is there a seagull
sitting on the rocks, at 5700 feet,
over 300 miles from the coast?
From this bench,
I see grasses and shrubs
that I don’t recognize,
courageously sprouting
from the rocks of the lake shore.
I look back up to that rock face.
At its base are more scraggly trees
like my hopeful sapling,
bravely clinging to the idea that
life has a strong future.
