Delmarva Review: Now That I’m a Grandpa by Michael Brosnan

Authors Note: This poem came to me while I was literally watching large slabs of ice flow down a Vermont river during a week in April when the ice broke up and the river began flowing again. Some ducks arrived and joined in the parade. As one still amazed by the speed of our lives, I’m often stunned by the knowledge that I am a grandfather to three young children. But I also try to live in peace now with the flow of time and the mysteries of our lives.

Now That I’m a Grandpa

While reading a book on Joyce last night,
I had a thought, then lost the thought
While continuing to read.

When I was younger, this
Would have frustrated me to no end—
The way things slip in then out of the mind. 

But now I’m fine with all things fleeting.
They remind me of how much I love
To watch stuff—ice and ducks mostly— 

Float so easily down the river,
Coming from somewhere I can’t name
And going where I’m unlikely now to go. 

♦

Michael Brosnan’s recent book of poetry is The Sovereignty of the Accidental (Harbor Mountain Press, 2018). His poems have appeared in Rattle, Prairie Schooner, The Moth. Confrontation, Borderlands, Barrow Street, New Letters, and Delmarva Review. He’s the author of Against the Current, a book on inner-city education, and serves as the senior editor of the website: TeachingWhileWhite.org. He lives in Exeter, New Hampshire. Website: www.michaelabrosnan.com. 

Delmarva Review is a literary journal selecting the best of new poetry and prose from thousands of submissions nationwide. The thirteenth annual edition was released in November featuring sixty-four authors, many from the region. The journal receives partial financial support from a Talbot County Arts Council grant with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council. Readers can buy copies from specialty booksellers like Mystery Loves Company, in Oxford, or from Amazon.com and other online booksellers. Website: www.DelmarvaReview.org.