Cathy Porter writes: Over the years, Joe has been wonderfully supportive of the poetry I have submitted to GHLL. Joe took a chance on me some years back, and he is, in my opinion, a true literary icon in the field! I’m sure his students will miss him. So, I wanted to send a couple of my favorites that he picked for GHLL over the years: ‘How To Rewrite Grief” (2020) and “Long Overdue” (2019). Thanks again Joe!!
How to Rewrite Grief
Start with the word itself –
scatter the letters over the floor,
twist them in knots not even
a boy scout could undo, or —
pretend they’re good luck pieces;
carry them in your pockets,
show them off on special
occasions, rub as needed —
admire the crooked back of ‘G’ —
the rigidity of ‘I’ between comrades,
give fist-bumps, group hugs;
resist the urge to bust them
all in the face – a hit as powerful
as the day your territory was invaded,
and time became another
word that needed a re-write.
Long Overdue
Blue sky crowns
Milkweed afternoons
I pause for you to catch up
Run with me through
The old days
When midnight roams
Behind closed doors
We lie down
Beneath broken windows
Angels shake us awake
How many times can we pray?
Behind every eye
Is a boat ready to sink
We arrive at the ends of the earth
Skip past vacant lots
Paved over for winter
Cathy Porter’s poetry has appeared in Plainsongs, Homestead Review,California Quarterly,Hubbub, Cottonwood, Comstock Review,and various other journals.The Dash Between Us is her latest chapbook from Finishing Line Press: A Life In The Day and Dust And Angels appeared in 2012 and 2014. She has two chapbooks published by Dancing Girl Press in Chicago: Exit Songs (2016), and 16 Days (2019), as well as The Skin Of Uncertainty (2020) from Maverick Duck Press. Her chapbook Bodies Of One Breath is forthcoming in 2023 from Dancing Girl Press. Cathy has been nominated for several Pushcart Prizes. She lives in Omaha, NE.