Poems Poem by R.A. Burleigh

(For Becky)

my daughter visiting after almost a year
chew her pancakes
and watches me light the fire

But what is a poem

her question reminds me of beautiful answers
I have been saving to impress a friend
but I say nothing and write nothing down

the fire spreads overpiney woods and bits of words
gathered in autumn: hard knots
That I vaguely admire

my daughter leaves
returning to her mother's house and
none if my letters are poems enough to say
something vague clearly

and my daughter returns the next summer
she recalls poems as we drive on a dirt road
and asks me again

just as I hear her
i spy, like a lucky hobo
two fawns who freeze in knee grass for us to see

and i feel a foolish challenge
reflected in the fixed light


RB