West Hartford

Fragment
By Dennis Barone

No temples to Apollo built
in West Hartford, no incense
to Apollo in recent years burnt.

But then up from Beach Land
did arise a path for bicycles:
tribute to azure.

At the coffee bar in Blue Back
one said to the other:
to have done something well once
is no accomplishment, but
to have done it well a thousand
times, now that is something!

And after the twice unhappy
elections:
the exception doesn't prove the rule,
the exception proves that the rule is wrong.

Meanwhile, the number of lacrosse
enthusiasts increased precipitously.

Everything runs outside
to see and to taste
and nothing remains within
but a thirst to be vanquished
far from Lethe and Trout Brook.

(from Sound / Hammer, Quale Press, 2015)


CCPL is a group of state and local poets laureate in Connecticut.
The mission of the Connecticut Council of Poets Laureate (CCPL) is to promote the enjoyment of poetry and be a resource for communities.