Sudden Mercury Poem by Caroline Misner

For Sandra Doke


Sadness pales in the wake of your departure;
only ruins shall occupy this room.
The light is dimmed, the sparkler’s burnt;
pull down the shade and drown the sun,
wrap a bandage round my hurt.

Snuff the stars out, one by one;
the constellations are all wrong.
Dismantle the clock so time can stop,
pluck its hands out by the roots,
tap the keg and liberate each precious drop.

This shouldn’t be a significant moment in my life;
twenty years from now I’ll forget your name.
The diamond has blistered in its case,
and the gold has tarnished into rust.
Sudden mercury has taken place.

Emptiness has usurped your laughter;
your breath was the wind that puffed my sails
and buoyed my ship through stormy seas.
I swear I never saw this coming;
it’s all too much for me.