Untitled Document
graduationpoem #1
A
red fox ran away HE
ran
far far away HIS
mother had no telephone
HAD
NO
telephone and
he was all alone
those are the words we sang
from a grade-school
songbook
I always felt a pang for that fox
was he lost forever there
was no
second verse to reassure me
years later I heard an orchestra
play
brahms’ academic festival overture
and to my astonishment
there was
the red fox still running and running
I never hear that
piece without
the fox haunting me but the music
ends so triumphantly
that I am sure
there was a joyous reunion
at the last
© Jacqueline Jackson 2007
Not only do we have road rage, but it seems we have
road love, too. Here Elizabeth Hobbs of Maine offers us a two-car
courtship. Be careful with whom you choose to try this little dance.
Slow Dancing on the Highway: the Trip North
You follow close behind me, for a thousand miles responsive to my movements. I signal, you signal back. We will meet at the next
exit.
You blow kisses, which I return. You mouth “I love you,” a message for my
rearview mirror.
We do a slow tango as we change lanes in tandem, gracefully, as though music were guiding us. It is tighter than bodies locked in heat, this caring, this ardent watching.
Poem copyright © 2001 by Elizabeth
Hobbs, whose most recent book is A Craving for
the Goatman (Goose River Press, 2003).
Reprinted from Poems from the Lake (Goose River Press, 2001), with permission of the
publisher. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The
Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
Ted Kooser served as the U.S. Poet Laureate from
2004-2006. For more information, go to www.americanlifeinpoetry.org.
This article appears in May 24-30, 2007.
idk if JJ will ever see this, i ended up on this page searching for the origin of the song, which i haven’t yet found. but the rest of the song is along these lines …
Poor Reddy sad was he, so far away to be, he sat upon a log to cry, dear dear where am i? oh where has Reddy roamed?
A bear came passing by. he heard the red fox cry. he dried his tears and led him home, led the red fox home, no more will Reddy roam.
A big bear passing by stopped when he heard his cry he dried his tears and lead him home lead the red fox home no longer did he roam
This is how my mother would sing it to me every night before bed