Poem of the Day: “Before” by Mary Soon Lee, Poet of the Week

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “Before” by Mary Soon Lee, Poet of the Week.  A brief biography of Ms. Lee may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2015/03/poet-of-week-mary-soon-lee.html.

Before

Mary Soon Lee

Before the vacation,

the small joy of packing:

toothbrush, comb, book,

each object conjuring

a faraway city.

     

Before a child grows up,

six thousand ordinary days:

meals cooked, clothes washed,

miles upon miles walked side by side

in unconsidered happiness.

Poet's notes:  I won't claim to enjoy doing laundry but I do like ordinary, everyday shared activities, from walking around the block together to making scrambled eggs with my daughter.

Editor’s Note:  I like the conceit in this poem short and sweet.  “Before” was first  published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in August 2011.