Over at Tweetspeak Poetry, Sandra Heska King has accepted a poetry dare. She’s reading a poem a day from Mahmoud Darwish’s “The Butterfly’s Burden” and writing poems as well.
In her first post on the dare, she excerpted a poem called “I Waited for No One.” I liked it so much I looked up the rest of the poem.
Here’s the final stanza:
I did not wait for you. I waited for no one.
I should have poured some wine
in two broken glasses and prevented myself
from attention to herself while waiting for you!
“I did not wait.” “I waited.” “while waiting.”
Yes, I get this. After reading the poem, I wanted to grab two wine glasses and gently break them a tiny bit, just enough to enact this scene.
I’m done waiting. Done waiting for you to change or you to love me or you to forgive me or you to notice the nose on your own face.
And yet, in not waiting I wait. I set out my two broken glasses and pour some wine. Not for me—my glass is unbroken, full enough. I prevent myself from attention that does not need to be paid while waiting for you.
I waited for no one.
I did not wait for you.