Poet Jane Hirshfield said "... the feeling I have about poem-writing (is) that it is always an exploration, of discovering something I didn't already know. Who I am shifts from moment to moment, year to year. What I can perceive does as well. A new poem peers into mystery, into whatever lies just beyond the edge of knowable ground."
I bring a different poem to the writing classes each week, not only to inspire but to introduce new poets to the group members.
The Future by Alison Pick
I dress for fate: my plastic pearls, my heels bejeweled for dancing. You wear a cloak of stars and moons and gloves sewn out of satin. The party’s dark, which hinders my chances, my hope that our orbits collide. A smoky wind blows in off the terrace, blocks the view of what-comes-next, the way the dealer’s poker face obscures the future’s features. He looks at us blandly and shuffles the years. Everyone’s drunk. Everyone’s gambling. We choose another game and form a ring that stands for time. we sit on the floor, cross-legged. I catch your eye across from mine. Set the bottle spinning. ~ from The Dream World (McClelland and Stewart, 2008)