Respecting Waves
by Hal Sirowitz
Father was respectful
of waves,ducking
under them,rather
than facing them head on,
like I did.He remembered
when he was a teenager
the waves riding into town
during a storm,crashing
against his windows,keeping
him awake.In the morning
thousands of fish were left stranded.
His parents feasted on red snapper
for days.But he didn't eat much.
The fear in the fish's eyes ruined his appetite.
Poem Courtesy of "Only
the sea keeps: Poetry of
the Tsunami"
Hal Sirowitz, Is the former Poet Laureate of Queens,NY.He is author of Mother
Said, (Crown Publishers,1996) which has been translated into nine languages.He
is the most popular translated poet in Norway.His poems have been set
to music by composers Elizabeth Swados,David Eddleman, Alla Borzova and
David Del Tredici.Garson Keillor has read his poetry on his program,The
Writer's Almanac.
