"Your Absence," a poem by Judith Harris; "Magnificent Mystery Book Discussion Group" photos
Posted March 28th, 2008 by cwhite
American Life in Poetry: Column 157
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006
From your school days you may remember A. E. Housman's poem that begins, "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now/ Is hung with bloom along the bough." Here's a look at a blossoming cherry, done 120 years later, on site among the famous cherry trees of Washington, by D.C. poet Judith Harris.
In Your Absence
Not yet summer,
but unseasonable heat
pries open the cherry tree.
It stands there stupefied,
in its sham, pink frills,
dense with early blooming.
Then, as afternoon
into more furtive winds,
I look up to see
a blizzard of petals
rushing the sky.
It is only April.
I can't stop my own life
from hurrying by.
The moon, already pacing.
###
Photo: Author A.D. Adams and H. Geneva Forister
The Magnificent Mystery Book Discussion is a recently formed group
that meets at the Fairlawn-Bath Branch, of the Akron-Summit County
Public Library, under the direction of librarian Cathy Morgan. As a
special treat, Cathy arranged for mystery and fantasy author A. D.
Adams to speak at the group’s March meeting. A. D. is a Northeast
Ohio writer whose novels are the mystery “Death on Lake Ice” and the
fantasy “The Dragon Healer of Tone”. A. D.’s talk was quite
informative as he discussed the origins of the mystery novel, the
various types of mystery novels, and how he creates the characters
that populate his books. He impressed the group with his extensive
knowledge of various mystery authors and novels. In a
question-and-answer session, the topics ranged from how he chose the
location for “Death on Lake Ice” to how to obtain a copyright.
To learn more about the Magnificent Mystery Book Discussion Group,
call the Fairlawn-Bath Library at 330-666-4888. To learn more about
the works of A. D. Adams, go to www.freewebs.com/adabooks
