D. Dina Friedman
EVENING
After “Messenger” by Mary Oliver
Now that the sun has finally set,
let me lie here and love the world
despite pictures of limbs
in the rubble. Let me be
like the cat, waiting with one shut eye
for the miracle of the open can
or like the baby, no longer hungry,
but requesting crackers for the pure pleasure
of watching them sail out of his hand.
Let me pretend when I showed him the sky
and he learned the word, sky, I saw only birds.
I didn’t see fighter jets, or hear their clamor.
Let me pretend there’s no greater pleasure
than the rapture of buds, the ting of a wind chime,
the firm promise of a garden pebble in your hand.
Let me pretend all that matters in life
are the words you learn: Sky. Cracker. Bird.
Cat. Bell. Light.
Yes, light.
Especially, light.
“I wrote this last year as part of a community-wide fundraising project for the Center for New Americans in western Massachusetts, where writers attempt to write 30 Poems in November. Each day the coordinator sends out a prompt, and that day the prompt was the gorgeous poem “Messenger” by Mary Oliver. My days were full with grieving about the Gaza War, which had just started, and taking care of my 14-month old grandchild, who was just beginning to vocalize the sights, sounds, and textures of the world outside—discoveries that both he, and Oliver in her poem, found miraculous. I wanted to write about this juxtaposition between grief and joy, and explore how we can come to a place of gratitude amidst deep sorrow.” —D. Dina Friedman
D. Dina Friedman’s newest books are the poetry collection Here in Sanctuary—Whirling (Querencia Press) and the short-story collection Immigrants (Creators Press), which was first runner up in the short-story category for the Eric Hoffer Award. Her previous books include two YA novels, Escaping Into the Night (Simon and Schuster) and Playing Dad’s Song (Farrar Straus Giroux) and one book of poetry, Wolf in the Suitcase (Finishing Line Press). Dina has published in over a hundred literary journals including Rattle, Salamander, The Sun, Mass Poetry, Crab Orchard Review, Cider Press Review, Lilith, and Rhino. She has received one Best of the Net and four Pushcart Prize nominations.