by Louise Glück

by Louise Glück
     Is it winter again， is it cold again，
     didn't Frank just slip on the ice，
     didn't he heal， weren't the spring seeds planted
     didn't the night end，
     didn't the melting ice
     flood the narrow gutters
     wasn't my body
     rescued， wasn't it safe
     didn't the scar form， invisible
     above the injury
     terror and cold，
     didn't they just end， wasn't the back garden
     harrowed and planted——
     I remember how the earth felt， red and dense，
     in stiff rows， weren't the seeds planted，
     didn't vines climb the south wall
     I can't hear your voice
     for the wind's cries， whistling over the bare ground
     I no longer care
     what sound it makes
     when was I silenced， when did it first seem
     pointless to describe that sound
     what it sounds like can't change what it is——
     didn't the night end， wasn't the earth
     safe when it was planted
     didn't we plant the seeds，
     weren't we necessary to the earth，
     the vines， were they harvested？