Whereof the Gift Is Small

By Maxine W. Kumin b. 1925 Read the Q & A

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

And short the season, first rubythroat
in the fading lilacs, alyssum in bloom,
a honeybee bumbling in the bleeding heart
on my gelding’s grave while beetles swarm
him underground. Wet feet, wet cuffs,
little flecks of buttercup on my sneaker toes,
bluets, violets crowding out the tufts
of rich new grass the horses nose
and nibble like sleepwalkers held fast—
brittle beauty—might this be the last?

Source: Poetry (December 2011).

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This poem originally appeared in the December 2011 issue of Poetry magazine

December 2011
 Maxine W. Kumin

Biography

An enduring presence in American poetry, Maxine Kumin’s career has spanned over half a century. She has been the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Pulitzer Prize, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award. She was the poetry consultant for the Library of Congress in 1981-1982, and has taught at many of the country’s most prestigious universities, including MIT, . . .

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Poem Categorization

SUBJECT Living, Death, Time & Brevity, Activities, Gardening, Nature, Animals, Trees & Flowers

POET’S REGION U.S., New England

Poetic Terms Rhymed Stanza, Sonnet

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Originally appeared in Poetry magazine.

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