Poet Charles S. Fradin briefly visited Somerville in the in the late fall of 2012.  He spent a summer at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs as a young man.  He decided to share a poem with us.

Despair

I had seen your face, fallen from unhappiness

A daily guest who became a lodger.

In coming to crosses in time

Where thoughts and actions diverge

Your appearance showed a great consistency.

Each day I tried to shake you from my person

Like the froth of children’s’ toys broken

Overflowing a fatigued plastic container.

You would pop up and out like charred toast

Forcing the lid open

Refusing to re-enter the circus box

Constructed for my well being.

Thievery brought you to the corner crease of my bedding

Where I would lay my head

To pray that tomorrow

The stars would align for my behalf

This being both untrue and selfish.

– Charles S. Fradin

_________________________________________

 To have your work considered for the LYRICAL send it to:
Doug Holder 25 School St. Somerville, Mass.
dougholder@post.harvard.edu