Tuesday poem #90 : Lesley Yalen : DECEMBER 23

I unfinished this large
question to you, it took time
movements abnormal to my mouth.
This thing about what work will
we do, what good would it do,
are we what luck looks like
before it runs out? This fight
about how happy to let it get
or whether this shrinking balloon
is happy at all. Our girl who
you just explained Spain to
doesn’t sense any connection
between water and ice. She’s
incurred no maps, no enemies,
no debts. She is remarkable among
the inhabitants of this house.
The map you made depicts
this quadrant of small goals
we didn’t reach but don’t
dismiss the achievements we
never aimed for in monogamy,
genetics, and sometimes even god.
Look, I can’t explain the moon
or why I’m not interested in it
it’s the end of the world and we
have to think of something else.
I distract myself with memorabilia
from the last world, singing Silent
Night all is calm all is bright,
and our kid gets very quiet.

Lesley Yalen’s writing has appeared in jubilat, The Massachusetts Review, Denver Quarterly, Octopus, Everyday Genius, Better, and elsewhere. Her first book, The Hearts of Vikings, is imminently forthcoming from Natural History Press. She lives in Northampton, MA.

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan