The Letter by Linda Gregg
The Letter
Linda GreggI’m not feeling strong yet, but I am taking
good care of myself. The weather is perfect.
I read and walk all day and then walk to the sea.
I expect to swim soon. For now I am content.
I am not sure what I hope for. I feel I am
doing my best. It reminds me of when I was
sixteen dreaming of Lorca, the gentle trees outside
and the creek. Perhaps poetry replaces something
in me that others receive more naturally.
Perhaps my happiness proves a weakness in my life.
Even my failures in poetry please me.
Time is very different here. It is very good
to be away from public ambition.
I sweep and wash, cook and shop.
Sometimes I go into town in the evening
and have pastry with custard. Sometimes I sit
at a table by the harbor and drink half a beer.
MARGINALIA
1.
It is peaceful here. I have a big window. The sky is endless.
2.
In a few hours the sun will rise and its beauty will break my heart. And then the light will wash over everything, and it will be alright.
KEEP READING
SHARED WITH GRATITUDE
This poem appeared in The Sacraments of Desire by Linda Gregg, published by Graywolf Press, 1992. (Available direct from Graywolf Press • Also on: Amazon • Bookshop)
DESCRIPTION
““The blinding intensity of Ms. Gregg’s lines stains the reader’s psyche the way lightning or heartache do.”-Joseph Brodsky
“Love, death and longing are archetypal presences in Gregg’s intense, sundrenched lyrics, which have been compared to archaic Greek poetry.”-Publishers Weekly
“Beautifully crafted poems, vulnerably sensitive, at once piercingly generous and starkly tough-minded . . .”-William Arrowsmith” (Source)
ABOUT LINDA GREGG
Linda Gregg was born in New York and raised in Marin County, California. Gregg published many several collections of poetry, including All of It Singing: New and Selected Poems (2008), a Los Angeles Times Favorite Book of 2008 and winner of the Poetry Society of America’s William Carlos Williams Award; In the Middle Distance (2006); Things and Flesh (1999), finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award for Poetry; Chosen by the Lion (1995); Sacraments of Desire (1992); Alma (1985); and Too Bright… (more)
Read more poems by Linda Gregg • Find books by this poet on Amazon • Bookshop • Or view my library
ENDNOTES
- Explore other works in pursuit of: solitude • self • contentment • Or browse the index
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Marius
I love it!