The Steady Pounding of Days
October 07, 2015 |
| Photo courtesy Dan O'Connell |
Introduction by Ted Kooser: I’ve seen many poems
about the atomic bomb drills that schoolchildren were put through during the
Cold War, but this one reaches beyond that experience. John Philip Johnson
lives and writes in Nebraska, and has an illustrated book of poems, Stairs
Appear in a Hole Outside of Town.
There Have Come Soft Rains
In kindergarten during the Cold War,
mid-day late bells jolted us,
sending us single file into the hallway,
where we sat, pressing our heads
between our knees, waiting.
During one of the bomb drills,
Annette was standing.
My mother said I would talk on and on
about her, about how pretty she was.
I still remember her that day,
curly hair and pretty dress,
looking perturbed the way
little children do.
Why Annette? There’s nothing
to be upset about—
The bombs won’t get us,
I’ve seen what’s to come—
it is the days, the steady
pounding of days,
like gentle rain,
that will be our undoing.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry
Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also
supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Poem copyright ©2014 by John Philip Johnson, “There Have Come Soft Rains,” from
Rattle, (No. 45, Fall 2014). Poem reprinted by permission of John Philip
Johnson and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2015 by The Poetry
Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet
Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do
not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
2 comments
I remember those days when bombs were a fear. Great poem with a lot of meaning. Hope you are enjoying the day. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteDebbie--I don't remember bomb drills, but I do remember earthquake drills out in California. This poem reminded me that it's not the big scary things that get us (usually), but the smaller, almost unnoticed things that can wear us down.
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