February 2017
Margaret Hasse
mmhasse@gmail.com
mmhasse@gmail.com
I grew up in Vermillion, South Dakota, and was educated at Stanford University (B.A., English) and the University of Minnesota (M.A., English). I started writing poetry when I was a child and never stopped. For the past thirty years, I’ve lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where I teach and consult with arts organizations on their plans and programs. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate in receiving some awards for my poetry, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. My fifth book of poetry, Between Us, was released in 2016. Visit my website at www.MargaretHasse.com
The Writer Considers a Sink
It’s started again: insistent dripping
of a faucet with an old washer,
first a few drops miserly
as a patient who tries to pee in a cup
while the nurse stands by,
then like a rill a boy makes
who marks his name in snow.
No longer a mender of things
not made of paper or cloth,
I don’t employ wrenches
while on my back staring up
at the drain trap under the sink.
It’s the time of life when things fail
and the broken stays broken.
The heart for example
and the relationship with a son
who keeps his distance.
What can we do but pick up
a pen once again
to fix something small on the page
with ink we hope will not leak
or run out.
from Between Us
.
©2016 Margaret Hasse
©2016 Margaret Hasse
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