By Ann Fisher-Wirth

I wish you could be here with me

in the cupped hours

between darkness and darkness

where the massive pecan trees

open their nubbins of leaf toward the sky

where a robin hops and bobs through the wild furred daisies

and violets scatter on the scruffy unmown lawn

.

An anole skitters down the Peace rose dodging the thorns

emerald green

with a throbbing pink dewlap

.

Bumblebees dive into the yellow snapdragon

and two Carolina wrens zoom past the back porch

where once again they will try to nest

.

This cup of light holds us

caught between darkness and darkness

though I scrub my hands raw

and lie awake at night full of dread for my children

Ann Fisher-Wirth, Professor in the English Department at University of Mississippi, is the daughter of a career Army officer and an English teacher. Her most recent book, Mississippi, is a beautiful collection of poetry and photography with the acclaimed photographer Maude Schuyler Clay.

http://annfisherwirth.com/