—after Ellen Bass
I could build him a barn, a big one,
as wide as the sky, red, to show my love
and to confess I share the same blood
that courses his veins. I would make it
tall and sturdy, out of the same materials
Noah used in the ark, and if I had difficulty
finding gopher wood, I would surf
the internet for a tree of equal hardness
or consult with the Sidonians. No one
knows timber like the Sidonians—
just ask King Solomon. And if I had
other questions, building suppliers would
get back to me eventually, even provide
how-to videos before I drove the first nail.
We might break bread. I can imagine
my efforts to fry squirrel or rabbit,
stirring up a little brown gravy
from the grease and juices, might do
the trick. Or I could lavish scads
of shiny objects on him because
reconciliation is costly—glitter and glitz
work miracles, and a diamond is a friend
to most members of the human species,
not just to the subset Marilyn advocated for
in the fifties. Should I consider a game? Maybe
one called Risks? One in which I would wager
it all for the chance to laugh again.
Published: Reformed Journal, 2024
Prompt: Let Ellen Bass inspire you, as she did me, to write your own “How To” poem. If you want to write on apologies or reconciliations, then do it. If you have another “how to” in mind, go for it. Read Ellen’s poem, and if you model after her, remember to give her credit in the “after” line of your poem. Here is a link to Ellen’s poem.