—after Alix Klingenberg
When the world is frenzied and cold and
seems ruled by hate, turn to things that warm
you—worn and faded animal-print sneakers,
vegetable soup with beans you snapped
last summer, simmering on the freshly-scrubbed
kitchen stove, eyes sparkling, innards burned
clean of yesterday’s dribbles and spills.
Cuddle up to the hearth with a warm cup
and browse your people’s recipes for soups
and gravies, their remedies for bitterness,
their cures for sore hearts. Finally, peruse
journals, handwritten, and works of fine art
to discover you are not alone, then with more
fanfare than the jubilant brass of Schumann’s first
symphony, announce the coming of spring.
Published: Blue Heron Review, 2024; Photo by Jo Taylor
Prompt: Alix’s poem, and my poem after her, is a list of what warms her when the world is uninviting and cold. What do you turn to when you want to be cuddled and warmed, when you feel the need to turn away from the world? The prompt (from a James Crews workshop) is an inviting one – just start with the list and see where it takes you.After that, play around with the order of the list and vary the lines to have long and short. Have fun!