For Gwen Brooks

By Carolyn Marie Rodgers
“she yielding of Senses”
               Say—
        she heard a sound,
        and it was so beautiful
        she tried to find it.
Say, she saw a light and
        thought she would follow
        it.
        Say—
            she lay down and
        sleep was so delicious—
            decided not to get up.

Notes:

Unpublished poem dated December 12, 2000. 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)