To a Friend Who Reads Poetry
for Muriel Rukeyser
She was so wonderful,
Large in every way,
Her voice out
Of that deep and ample chest,
Her eyes, steady
In an unsteadying way.
Large in spirit, a passion
Writ bold on the gestures of her face.
You would have loved each other.
I can imagine the two of you
Meeting. Or maybe I can’t imagine that.
You would have talked
And immediately you would have
Held each other. Her face
And eyes would have made you crazy—
And yours, her. Crazy was okay
For her to share. But how did that spirit
Expire? Where did she go?
I can hear the way she said, “Oh, good.”
She always said that.
She came to me in a dream last night.
She was with you.