Day 26 of NaPoWriMo

So, the month of daily poems is almost over. Yesterday I was so busy, I never had a chance to post a poem. Sometime in the next few days, I’ll post an extra one to make up for it.

Each day this month, NapoWriMo.Net has been posting a poetry prompt. Some of the people taking part have followed the prompt every day. From some of the prompts, I’ve learned about poetry forms, from the cento to the epistolary poem to the lipogram, a form I’ve never heard of before.  The lipogram is a poem in which the poet explicitly refrains from using certain letters. I’ll have to try this, but not today. So far, I haven’t followed any of NaPoWriMo’s prompts, but today, I’m changing that. Today’s prompt is to write an elegy.

A few years ago, a close friend of mine passed away. I still miss her very much. This is for her.

For D.

I sip this wine
and think of you.
In the midst of rushing about,
I often find myself
thinking of you.
We lived in different towns;
we got together
not often enough.

You hatched a plan to visit me
in Việt Nam.
It was all
you could speak of.
We sipped wine,
pored over maps, brochures,
talking about which local dishes
you’d try first.

You’d meet me in Huế;
I’d show you the emperors’ grand mausoleums
where they spent time
not only in death,
but in life–
to meditate, to read, to write poetry
to sip wine and observe the lotuses
from an airy pavillion.

I’d take you to see the view
from the symmetry of Ngự Bình Mountain;
we’d stand amongst the pines
on the mountain’s plateau. Below,
the Hương River flows,
a wide ribbon–
we’d take a lazy boat trip,
gaze at the currents, sip our wine.

Were it to rain,
we’d drink coffee
in a cozy café,
to the melancholy strains
of Trịnh Công Sơn;
perhaps call
for a bottle of red
Đà Lạt wine.

The pains in your abdomen.
The tests. More tests.
Time passing; the bad news,
the remission and a return to hope.
Once more, we met over dinner and wine.
We discussed your plans, one last time.
D., I lift this glass of ruby wine in silent toast.
Je pense à toi, D, et je t’embrasse fort.

This poem is linked to dVerse Poets Open Link Night 42. Lots of great poetry to read on this great website, a fine resource and community for poets.

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