Robert Demaree- Three Poems

BEFORE THE SEASON

A quiet morning in New Hampshire

In June, before the campers arrive

And the weekend guests from out of town,

Pulled along the surface by boats too big for the pond.

We float, Martha and I, on a warm ripple out of the West,

Baucis and Philemon in inner tubes, bobbing gently,

Talking about not much:

About tasks around the cottage:

My can of stain has gone bad, frozen over the winter;

The stoops will return to paint, to latex,

Whose transitory lie upon the pine

Gives need and hope of tasks to come;

About our girls, their families,

The lives they have made for themselves in other towns.

They will be here soon,

Their children clambering over

The same remembered rocks along the shore.

Years ago, when we would pack to leave, the four of us,

My mother said, “Our summer is over.”

Across the pond the meadow waits for haystacks.

That evening a sudden rain sparkles,

Drops of orange, yellow, pink

Dance iridescent in the early afterglow.

There will be other days like this

But none better.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

My neighbor is on his ladder,

Taking down the Christmas lights;

His wife has gone inside to rest,

Just home from her chemo.

I start to say something like

Well, time to pack ’em up

For another year

But decide not to.

AT THE SENIOR CITIZENS SPRING LUNCHEON

The lady across the table felt faint,

Her eyes rolled upward.

Our doctor friend, retired,

Caught her, attended to her

So calmly as to keep us from

Gawking,

Able to continue our salad of

Grilled chicken, feta cheese,

Kalamata olives.

A mild heart attack, he thought.

First responders responded.

The luncheon went on.

Some people on the other side of the tent

Did not notice.

Robert Demaree is the author of three book-length collections, including After Labor Day (2014) published by Beech River Books. He presents poetry readings, seminars and workshops in North Carolina (October through June) and New England (June through October.)