Imagining Defeat Poem by David Berman

Imagining Defeat

Rating: 4.9


She woke me up at dawn,
her suitcase like a little brown dog at her heels.

I sat up and looked out the window
at the snow falling in the stand of blackjack trees.

A bus ticket in her hand.

Then she brought something black up to her mouth,
a plum I thought, but it was an asthma inhaler.

I reached under the bed for my menthols
and she asked if I ever thought of cancer.

Yes, I said, but always as a tree way up ahead
in the distance where it doesn't matter

And I suppose a dead soul must look back at that tree,
so far behind his wagon where it also doesn't matter.

except as a memory of rest or water.

Though to believe any of that, I thought,
you have to accept the premise

that she woke me up at all.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Ryan Freeley 04 March 2007

this is one of my favorite poems

6 1 Reply
Sudip Das 24 August 2024

Simple great.

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 24 August 2024

ADDITION THREE: CONGRATULATIONS being chosen by Poem Hunter and Team, the world's largest POEMSITE as The Modern Poem Of The Day! TOP Marks and Myriad more

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Sylvia Frances Chan 24 August 2024

TWO and FINAL: It reflects the themes of impermanence, regret, and the fleeting nature of relationships that are prevalent throughout his writing.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 24 August 2024

ONE: Compared to Berman's other works, 'Imagining Defeat' stands out for its raw emotional intensity and its exploration of the psychological complexities of loss.

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Dr Antony Theodore 24 July 2020

Then she brought something black up to her mouth, a plum I thought, but it was an asthma inhaler. I reached under the bed for my menthols and she asked if I ever thought of cancer. asthma inhaler...... very fine poem. tony

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David Berman

David Berman

Williamsburg, Virginia
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