Morning on my Deck in the New Regime
I see a chap I know, walking with two friends
on the boardwalk dividing my tall house
from beach below, and hear invoked with flourish,
the Bard of Avon’s holy name. Another fellow
proffers forth a fragment of a speech:
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men
I look then down, wave, and bellow so:
cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,
after which three walkers in unison unleash
this citation of the fateful foul decree:
Julius Caesar, Scene One, Act Three.
I treasure then this moment of delight
in bardic fellowship with passersby,
before my shroud of dread turns day to night.
*
Donna Hilbert’s latest book is Enormous Blue Umbrella, Moon Tide Press, 2025. Work has appeared in journals and broadcasts including Eclectica, Gyroscope, Rattle, Sheila Na Gig, ONE ART, Cholla Needles, TSPoetry, VerseDaily, Vox Populi, The Writer’s Almanac, anthologies including Boomer Girls, The Widows’ Handbook, The Poetry of Presence I & II, The Path to Kindness, The Wonder of Small Things, Love Is For All Of Us, What the House Knows, Poetry Goes The Movies. She writes and leads workshops from her home base in Long Beach, California.
I love Donna Hilbert’s poems for their clarity and wit. She does a lot in a small space.
Delightful poem–with an unexpected turn in the last line. Thank you, Donna.
Yes! Perfect turn and last line.
Donna, this is a magnificent poem.
To have such a perfect reprieve from the mounting vagaries of this current season is glorious. You captured it beautifully. And shared it with us! Thank you for this. It gives one hope.
Carol Anne
We find joy when & where we can, lost in current tumult of dealing with The Man! 🍁
Wow, I love this for all the reasons stated above. This captures the world I love, the world I hope we can preserve.
Thank you all for the kind comments!
Another wondrous poem. Thank you for writing it.
Fabulous!! These moments keep us going, that’s for sure. I love CNN poems that include these magical moments from our lives.