I know, I should throw it away ... at the very least, not wear it in public.
But I can't bear to give it up. It's my hat. We've been together so long, through so many things. It's like a part of me. And there it sits, "like a cabbage leaf on my head."
The poem began, as many poems do, while I was out walking, this time with Phyllis.
Actually, we encountered two young girls, strolling in the other direction. Strangers, but I probably smiled and spoke.
One of them smiled and said something in reply, but I didn't catch what it was.
After we had walked far enough that I thought we were out of earshot of the two, I asked Phyllis: What did she say?
Cool hat, she replied.
Cool hat?
That's right. Cool hat, she assured me.
That's when I had the impulse to toss my hat in the air and do a few dance steps right there. Who says I'm not in touch with the younger generation?
Today's poem, part of a manuscript in search of a publisher:
COOL HAT
It has been
wind-stripped,
limb-grabbed,
lost and found,
rumpled, crumpled,
laundered until
it cries for mercy,
and it sits like
a cabbage leaf
on my head.
But then she,
a young girl about
half my height,
flashes a smile,
says, "Cool hat!"
and for a moment,
just a heartbeat,
a quickened stride,
I feel like
tossing my hat
in the air
and dancing.
© 1999
(orignally published in Capper's)
***
Today's word:
heartbeatAfterthoughts ...in response to your comments:
No, I haven't read Ghost Eyed Tree, Helen, butI'm putting it on my list of things to read (I'm particularly intrigued by the prospect of seeing watercolor illustrations) ... and I thank you for the tip. Oh ... and I'm delighted that you liked the poem ... "Cool Hat," that is.
2 comments:
Have you ever read the children's book..."Ghost Eyed Tree?" It involves a hat like yours. The watercolor pictures in it are very charming. Please look at it if you are in a library or book store...or call them and see if they have it. You'd enjoy it and worth seaking out. I own it and it's...somewhere--can't give it away. I always read it to my classes and showed them the pictures. It's not new. If you have a Border's, if it's not still in print, they'll order it on used books and tell you the condidtion...and hardly ever costs more than $11.00 and they pay the postage.
This poem is wonderful!
PS...when I said, "This poem is wonderful" I meant yours today...not the book the Ghost Eyed Tree...that is not poetry. When I read it over, it sounded like I wasn't talking about your poem. I really like it. When you get a chance to read the children's book I mentioned, you'll see the connection.
Helen
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