Tuesday, May 27, 2008

wave hello

Is there a hyphen in goodbye (good-bye)?
I’m never sure

I want there to be-
It’s the greedy kind of wanting for a bridge, a “you
Can kiss me”, a rope
From the bow to the dock, a clasp
To hold back a wandering earring

You can fold me a paper boat - even though
I’m too tired to row
You can weave me a hollow
basket - that will hold water I will not swallow

You can pick me seven golden daffodils all
Shining in the sun - my arms
Will be two leaden limbs at my side

Birdhouses make me happy-
For a fledgling season anyway

You can machete me a watermelon and
Feed me the melancholy flesh-
After a few pink nibbles, I will
Spit out the black futurists,

Crawl into my waterproof basket, and float away
Under the bridge without a rope
After we kiss and I can’t find my earring

No - he says-
there’s no hyphen in goodbye

But couldn’t I insert one if it were a compound adjective before a noun?
Isn’t that the rule? If so, then-

Will you really agree to be my good-bye lover?
There would always be a bridge, a bowline, a birdhouse, and a fistful of daffodils-
Waiting.

If so, then–
Hello.
It’s so good of you to come by.

7 comments:

Kirsten said...

emily dickinson liked 'em (hyphens, that is),and that's good enough for me! x

Angie in Divide said...

Just wanted to tell you that I love this poem! It made me smile even through the melancholy ;)

reliv4life said...

I always love your poems, so deep and reflective...

Rebecca said...

Such responsibility that little hyphen bears!

Friar Tuck said...

you are gifted

suesun said...

thanks ya'll....

Anonymous said...

having just read a goodbye Marina post, this was tough to follow up with. such an amazing poem. I love reading your writing, it echoes in my head still.