Morning Glory
Sometimes,
when they say this to the child,
when they murmur this to
the retreaters, when they chide
the innocents, when they mouth this
to the God-fearing, God-loving,
(christe eleison) grow up. in this world.
grow up, and not in the direction towards
which stars burn. they mean grow evil. evil ...
the morning glories wrap themselves as they
crawl up the grey garden fence.
like snakes, they wrap themselves around the
wooden planks.
bless the Lord,
oh, my soul.
Notes:
From Morning Glory (Eden Press, 1989). Reproduced with permission of Nina Rodgers Gordon.
This poem is part of the portfolio “Carolyn Marie Rodgers: What Beauty We Now Have” from the October 2022 issue.
Source: Poetry (October 2022)