Hello Friends,
Yesterday’s poem was about an argument with another person. In today’s poem, Chen Chen argues with the universe.
One of the best things about April is the number of events held in honor of National Poetry Month. If you enjoy today’s poem, you may wish to check out a livestream poetry reading tonight featuring Chen Chen & Brenda Hillman, hosted by the Poetry Society of America. Some other exciting upcoming events include Latino Poetry – Places We Call Home on April 22 if you’re in DC, and the Academy of American Poets’ annual Poetry & the Creative Mind on April 24 via livestream.
Thank you for celebrating poetry month with me!
— Ællen
Yesterday’s poem was about an argument with another person. In today’s poem, Chen Chen argues with the universe.
One of the best things about April is the number of events held in honor of National Poetry Month. If you enjoy today’s poem, you may wish to check out a livestream poetry reading tonight featuring Chen Chen & Brenda Hillman, hosted by the Poetry Society of America. Some other exciting upcoming events include Latino Poetry – Places We Call Home on April 22 if you’re in DC, and the Academy of American Poets’ annual Poetry & the Creative Mind on April 24 via livestream.
Thank you for celebrating poetry month with me!
— Ællen
God, Gods, Powers, Lord, Universe—
If you cannot, at the moment, give me much joy,
I get it. I have asked
& received many a great joy
already. Just give me, if you can spare it,
a small joy, say, the size
of a ketchup packet. If that’s too much
to ask for, then how about a small
kindness, a tiny kindness, the size of a kiss
from a dust mote? No?
Okay. Would it be possible for you to take
away some things, then? For instance,
the soreness on the right side of my neck?
If you could remove maybe half
a pinch of that soreness, I would leap up
as though it were a great joy. I mean,
it would absolutely be a great, great joy,
thank you in advance. O
highest O mightiest O most.
Still no? Well. What about this
sense that everything is slipping
right out of my fingers & faster
every day? I’m not asking you to cure
my fear. Nor unslipify
my fingers. Only, if you could,
if you have a quarter of a split
nanosecond, it would be
greatly appreciated, see, I don’t
need joy or kindness
or ketchup, I
beg you, if you are
a being, a higher, some
Mysteries that can listen, can
mercy, I just need to lose
a little
less quickly.
■
If you cannot, at the moment, give me much joy,
I get it. I have asked
& received many a great joy
already. Just give me, if you can spare it,
a small joy, say, the size
of a ketchup packet. If that’s too much
to ask for, then how about a small
kindness, a tiny kindness, the size of a kiss
from a dust mote? No?
Okay. Would it be possible for you to take
away some things, then? For instance,
the soreness on the right side of my neck?
If you could remove maybe half
a pinch of that soreness, I would leap up
as though it were a great joy. I mean,
it would absolutely be a great, great joy,
thank you in advance. O
highest O mightiest O most.
Still no? Well. What about this
sense that everything is slipping
right out of my fingers & faster
every day? I’m not asking you to cure
my fear. Nor unslipify
my fingers. Only, if you could,
if you have a quarter of a split
nanosecond, it would be
greatly appreciated, see, I don’t
need joy or kindness
or ketchup, I
beg you, if you are
a being, a higher, some
Mysteries that can listen, can
mercy, I just need to lose
a little
less quickly.
■
Chen Chen was also previously featured for Poem-A-Day April 18, 2023 and Poem-A-Day April 24, 2020.