She took stamps
from the drawer in the kitchen
her father saw but didn’t say
they drove
and she watched out the window
fingering them carefully
in her pocket
together they climbed the grassy hill
up to the acorn tree
stopping at a rock
perfectly carved
with a woman’s name—
for a long time
and a careful time
she looked and thought
but never cried.
“Papa?”
she finally said,
“How many stamps
does it take to reach heaven?”
“One will do,
my love—“
And so,
she put one stamp on
and placed one inside
and left the letter
by her mother’s side.
xx Atticus
@atticuspoetry )
www.atticuspoetry.com)
Other poems read today:
- “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe
- “Love” by Pablo Neruda
- “When Great Trees Fall” by Maya Angelou
