by Yvonne Zipter
The briefest love is sometimes sweetest,
and so my ardor for the nap.
But the litany of each
that’s ever cupped me in its lotus palm
would put you in a stupor,
and so I will not mention
the most pitiful of naps—
that of the invalid,
who lies swathed in a blanket on the couch
while the world slips past in flickering frames—
or poorer yet, the dirt nap, the specter of which hunkers
at the end of the sofa,
tactlessly licking a mossy lip.
Better to tell of the “power nap,”
all the fashion a decade past:
bears do it, blokes do it,
even preppy Greenwich teens do it
(let’s do it—let’s fall asleep).
Of course, last century we were all
hungry for power: military, electric, personal.
New to my list
is to doze upon the maple floorboards,
the narrow face of one dog
on my thigh, the head of the other
on my arm as they bathe me
in a kind of elixir
of kibble-scented breath
and the musk of waxy ears.
But easily the pleasantest of naps
is that on a Sunday afternoon—
in the summer, if at all possible—the fragrance
of new-mown lawn filtering through an open window,
a fat fly tapping at the screen,
and Pat Hughes, Voice of the Chicago Cubs,
intoning the stats like a chant,
which sets you adrift, for a moment,
like a pharaoh in a boat,
paddling toward heaven
with all the things you love.
Wow! Sending this to my mom, I think you and she have a lot in common.
Yes! I’m Ember’s mom… A pharoahess who believes paddling toward heaven on a sunny Sunday afternoon, breathing in the scent of fresh mown grass, and listening to Pat while I doze is near perfection. Sometimes I can still hear Ronnie sigh as we blow another save…..
Thank you for this lovely poem, Yvonne.
So glad, LoJoBar, you could identify with the poem. It was especially fun that Pat Hughes (to whom I’d sent a copy of the Bellingham Review in which the poem appeared) mentioned the poem on air during a Cubs game. Hearing Pat and Ron chat about the poem–Ron making fun of Pat for the implication that his voice puts me to sleep–was one of the highlights of my poetry career.
You must have been thrilled to hear them discussing your work! Congratulations.
I was at the Rock for the open house today. I showed up aournd 4:30 and was out of there by 5:00. Didn’t have any problem getting in there at that point, no lines, although the fact that they made you wait on line for a free ticket was strange. The problems must have been at the start of the program.The crowd was decent for the free concert they were giving. Alot of young families which will be key for Seton Hall’s attendance figures. Overall, it is clear the arena is a first-class facility. At the end of the day, though, its still a sports arena, and it will only be as attractive as the product you put on the floor during the season.VC