A Cup of Hot Tea

I’ve corrected the penultimate line. Instead of

forgetting the earth is a ripe plum in a boy’s bleeding shirt pocket

it’s now

forgetting the earth is a ripe plum bleeding in a boy’s shirt pocket

This might not seem a big thing, but I’m surprised, and a little disappointed, I didn’t notice it before. When our children were growing up, I told them often, Say what you mean, and mean what you say, as a way of encouraging them to listen to themselves and to communicate clearly. And so my failure to do so here, in the poem that accompanies Canvas 1,221, is a humbling experience. Not that there aren’t other mistakes to be found in these pages — I’d be a fool to claim that. But at least when I notice them I’m willing to accept responsibility. For instance, I would ask the kids, Is it a hot cup of tea, or a cup of hot tea? Of course, if the tea is hot, it follows the cup will be too. But if the tea is cold — oh, never mind.

[ 1997 ]