For Irene, or 'Madly in a Maryland Rain'

I went out and danced
On the night following our talk
about a frolic that seemed to take More than a day
One night in the Maryland rain
I considered but did not cartwheel,
though I got my feet wet twirling in the grass
moving like a lunatic
performing for a neighborhood
seeing diamond dazzling droplets
which litter the clover, loveliest of invasive weeds
with its silver undertones of green

I pause thinking of you, how I cannot lie down

in puddles and rivulets, nor swing to the heavens singing,

a wet drop splatters the crown of my head
and I wheel, graceful in the lamplight
I can be a regular Martha Graham!
I don't mind to get wet
It's just now, the air turns cold
And these icy droplets chill
The bones of my back.


(c) Mia Enns 2014, all rights reserved.