Open Reading At The Hungry Mind Bookstore Poem by Daniel Brick

Midsummer Night

(I)

Her name is Tracy, and she was very
apologetic about her appearance, which was neither chic
nor grunge, but something displaying her essence. She spoke
at length about being nervous, but showed no trace of it -
until she announced her first poem. She fumbled with several
pages, two fell on the floor. I retrieved one but she waved
it aside. Finally she looked straight into our eyes, and
said resolutely, "The poems I once wrote had their origin
in my cranium." She pointed her right index finger
at the side of her head, as if it were a pointer, or
a revolver. "I call such creations Poems of the Cranium,
but now I write Poems of the Heart, that are born and
and reside in my deepest Self." She deftly lifted
a blue pamphlet so that we could all see it, and
placed it next to her heart. "My first poem is an Aubade*,
by a trobairitz** in love:

Stars, fading fast
behind the sun's morning sheen,
shine a little extra light
on us, before we part.

In time, our love
will burn up our lives,
and return to you a tiny measure
of the light we borrowed today. "

The room was very quiet, Tracy was smiling,
"I'll read it again, this time slower." And so she did,
and so we responded with the fullness of our hearts.

* AUBADE: the morning song of lovers who must soon
separate in the daylight.

**TROBAIRITZ: a female troubadour, singing of love and desire.