As Well as Can Be Expected

As Well as Can Be Expected

“For something fulfilled
this hour—loved or endured”
—W.H. Auden,
“As Well as Can Be Expected”
The Collected Poetry

Wiser today—but not really
Walking alone—down by the lake
The stream—sliding thru gravel

The delta silt—and mud
Coming down—from across the
Street—thru the viaduct

Down from—Dead Horse Canyon
Up where old cedars—still stand
And Douglas firs—brood

Thirty years later—here I am
Sitting on a sofa—with my cat
Still coming home—am I there?

How many dawns—sleepless
Front yard—kitty-kat graveyard
Loved—having been loved

What more—can I ask for
Here is where—time stopped
And where—I once endured