Richard Luftig
Upon Reflection
See how autumn is in this lake,
All lotus leaves and willow.
Oaks too, their bending branches
Float on top of mirrored water.
Flowering sweep-peas bend their necks
As if trying to catch a glimpse
of their younger, better selves.
Bottlebrushes bristle their beards in mottled sand.
II.
Upon reflection I remember
How in a younger life,
I watched you run in late October,
Your scarf and long hair playing
A classical duet with the wind.
Don’t worry, you said,
Just before leaving. This lake will never change
so long as one of us recalls.
Richard Luftig is a former professor of educational psychology and special education at Miami University in Ohio now residing in California. His poems and stories have appeared in numerous literary journals in the United States and internationally in The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia. Two of his poems recently appeared in Realms of the Mothers: The First Decade of Dos Madres Press. His latest book f poems, A Grammar for Snow, has been published by Unsolicited Press.
See how autumn is in this lake,
All lotus leaves and willow.
Oaks too, their bending branches
Float on top of mirrored water.
Flowering sweep-peas bend their necks
As if trying to catch a glimpse
of their younger, better selves.
Bottlebrushes bristle their beards in mottled sand.
II.
Upon reflection I remember
How in a younger life,
I watched you run in late October,
Your scarf and long hair playing
A classical duet with the wind.
Don’t worry, you said,
Just before leaving. This lake will never change
so long as one of us recalls.
Richard Luftig is a former professor of educational psychology and special education at Miami University in Ohio now residing in California. His poems and stories have appeared in numerous literary journals in the United States and internationally in The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia. Two of his poems recently appeared in Realms of the Mothers: The First Decade of Dos Madres Press. His latest book f poems, A Grammar for Snow, has been published by Unsolicited Press.