Typewriter Rodeo: Softness Surrounding

Each week, the Standard reaches out to Austin’s Typewriter Rodeo for a custom poem on Texas topics.

By Naomi Shihab NyeDecember 11, 2020 12:24 pm,

Wintertime can be a source of quiet comfort.

Softness Surrounding

Right now, human life feels hard,

Who to see – when to stay away –

what to touch – how clean to be –

but the air of Texas winter

cups us in its soft hands

holds us close – fearlessly –

says Be calm – the moment

we open a door – no more

statistics for an hur, okay?

Trim that vine – it’s mine,

not yours – it’s winter’s quiet browning

surrounding – growing in the dark.

I’ll hold you too – says that air – until

a better season comes. Trust me.

Some days I’ll blow a bit of cooler air

I’ll be the comforter of cloud

pitched across your sky.

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Typewriter Rodeo is also available anytime in podcast form.

 

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