Many of you may be familiar with Grace Paley’s prose, but she was also a striking poet. This one from Fidelity, the last book she wrote before she died three years ago, took my breath away the first time I read it.
“On Occasion”
I forget the names of my friends
and the names of the flowers in my garden my friends remind me
Grace it’s us the flowers just
stand there stunned by the sun
A long time ago my mother said
darling there are also wildflowers
but look these I planted
my flowers are pink and rose and
orange they’re sturdy they make
new petals every day to fill in
their fat round faces
suddenly before thought I
called out ZINNIA zinnia
zinnia along came a sunny
summer breeze they swayed
lightly bowed I said Mother
live in the layers 