You’ve heard him speak about his work on 15 Minutes of Poetry. You’ve read his poems, most recently The Crusaders. You already know what Robert CJ Graves is capable of. He gives us today a message of hope and renewal, and while I know he didn’t write it for this day, I can’t help but think of it as the perfect way to envision our founders feeling as they took the momentous step of declaring our independence. Happy 4th of July!
New Song
By Robert CJ Graves
The salty musk of rain is in the air.
Tonight will be sultry then cool.
And at last the spring song has left our bones.
We’ve stalked the high grass with our heads down
the memory of pain, the horrors of winter
over our shoulders as we fretted
about the setting sun and the black smoke
clouds that clung over the brown-bellied hills.
Tonight we know a new song
that we never conceived in the spring,
that would have been unutterable in the winter.
Tonight the front door is open,
and the night birds sing in twos.
Ah, the beginning of spring.
Good work as usual, Robert. I like the hopeful ending.
Love the “clouds that clung over the brown-bellied hills” — great image and great sounds.
“clouds that clung over the brown-bellied hills.” is a gorgeous image.
Loved this whole piece Robert. Your work should be sung.