26 My Other Poem

My Other Poem

Daniel Davis

I don’t like writing

But I write
I don’t like poems
But I write them
When I have to
I’m not very good at writing them
So I’m surprised
I got these done in time
I’m surprised I got them done at all
They might be terrible
They might be alright
But I think
They’ll just have to do
I might have done better
If I would have
Worked harder
When I had more time
I’ll have to stop
I’m out of time

Both of these are very much what I would expect from Daniel. As mentioned in Emily Dickinson’s poem Death sits a thing, we are left to ‘ponder little workmanships’ as ‘”This was last [his] fingers did.”’ Pondering these things is what we are left to do as we cannot ask and reasonably expect an answer. Those of us who knew Daniel well may have some insight but still, we do not KNOW. Still, how grateful to have these things we are.