National Poetry Month: Ann Goldsmith

For National Poetry Month, the Burchfield Penney will share poems  from Mortals & Immortals: Burchfield Penney Writers and Poets Series 35 Year Celebration. 

Ann Goldsmith's Dandelions

They arrived before dawn
like rain or sunlight
everywhere at once,
gold carpet tacks stuck
in every lawn.

Two weeks ago, the grass
began it. From dried hemp
to parrot green. Overnight.
When I was a child I tried
to catch the slick-fingered turn.

I still believe, if I sat up
all night with a flashlight—
on the right night, of course—
the secret of the universe
would nest in my palm

like a field mouse. All
the soft hairs and delicate
scaffolding, the bright
inscrutable gaze, the
small drum of the heart.

Mortals & Immortals is available in the Burchfield Penney Museum Store, online or by calling 716-878-3595.