Duke English Majors present: "Shelter in Poetry,” a series dedicated to sharing some of our favorite poems as we shelter in place. Here we join the efforts of @williamsenglishdepartment and the Academy of American Poets (#shelterinpoems), among others, to bring solace and solidarity to these uncertain times.
Margaret Gaw, '22
English
by Amy Gerstler
Gardens are also good places
to sulk. You pass beds of
spiky voodoo lilies
and trip over the roots
of a sweet gum tree,
in search of medieval
plants whose leaves,
when they drop off
turn into birds
if they fall on land,
and colored carp if they
plop into water.
Suddenly the archetypal
human desire for peace
with every other species
wells up in you. The lion
and the lamb cuddling up.
The snake and the snail, kissing.
Even the prick of the thistle,
queen of the weeds, revives
your secret belief
in perpetual spring,
your faith that for every hurt
there is a leaf to cure it.
* If you would like to share a video for this series please upload your video of you reading poem here and include your name, class year, major, and title of work you are reading. Faculty and staff please include your name, title/position, department and title of war your reading.
English Department