Stray by Elizabeth Alexander
Stray
Elizabeth AlexanderOn the beach, close to sunset, a dog runs
toward us fast, agitated, perhaps feral,
scrounging for anything he can eat.
We pull the children close and let him pass.Is there such a thing as a stray child? Simon asks.
Like if a mother had a child from her body
but then decided she wanted to be a different child’s mother,
what would happen to that first child?The dog finds a satisfying scrap and calms.
The boys break free and leap from rock to rock.
I was a stray man before I met your mother,
you say, but they have run on and cannot hear you.How fast they run on, past the dark pool
your voice makes, our arms which hold them back.
I was a stray man before I met you,
you say. This time you are speaking to me.
MARGINALIA
Have just finished reading her book while listening to Brian Eno’s Apollo (Atmospheres & Soundtracks). I should be working but — you get the picture.
KEEP READING
SHARED WITH GRATITUDE
This poem appeared in From American Sublime by Elizabeth Alexander, published by by Elizabeth Alexander, published by Graywolf Press, 2010. (Available on: Amazon • Bookshop)
ABOUT ELIZABETH ALEXANDER
Elizabeth Alexander is a prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author, renowned poet, educator, scholar, and cultural advocate. She is also is president of the Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest funder in the arts, culture, and humanities.
Dr. Alexander’s most recent book, The Trayvon Generation (2022), is a galvanizing meditation on the power of art and culture to illuminate America’s unresolved problem with race and the challenges facing young Black America. Among… (more)
Read more poems by Elizabeth Alexander • Find books by this poet on Amazon • Bookshop • Follow on Instagram • Twitter • Website • Or view my library
ENDNOTES
- Explore other works in pursuit of: belonging • loneliness • family • Or browse the index
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