Grace
Grace
by Shannon Joyce Prince
Snapping peas between my teeth today
A memory I have of gray evening tucked in beneath the bridge, nightfall when the stars’ sacred whiteness grew irritated at car noise
I get snapping peas, get to make them snap between my teeth
The vets have no molars, have soup
The runaways do not chew – stare, swallow, and scurry away
Feeling the snapping peas between my teeth, but this memory I have of almost fleeing
Waking with an eight of a dream still warm on my skin
Under the bridge, a pure moment before the blurred noise returned
So early in the morning nothing was but I and a yellow sea of light
Before the reminder that I was not going to get to float into the golden sun, but walk to the free (not freedom free, but economically free) shower and lunch
Snapping peas between my teeth
Did you know I still say Grace?
Editor @ August 13, 2007
Hmm… I’ve read this many many times and this is a very good example of contemporary poetry. Very careful and unsurpising in every way other than the wonderful lines making up the body of this poem. Pay attention. You will find poems like this tucked into 99% of every poetry anthology, university journal, mag and you will read them and then move to the next. This poem will carry you thru itself and it will be good… it won’t be great and you’ll forget about it as it doesn’t warrant a reread, a return. This is a very good poem considering, but a great poem is the one you can read again and again. I’m glad this poem inspired me to write this.
No. I didn’t know you still said Grace. I don’t know you. At all.