"Monday's" Poem: Extra

This poem is by Beth Ann Fennelly, a contemporary poet I admire deeply. I've had the pleasure of meeting her twice--once she visited my sophomore poetry class at WSU, and last February she was signing books at the AWP in Chicago. This poem is from her 2004 book Tender Hooks, which she wrote after the birth of her daughter.

Extra

It's happening:

my daughter's

heavier. I hold her

& she grows

down. She'll hit

the ground running.

An old movie,

& in the background

an ancient woman

carries against her chest

a sack of groceries.

It gets away

from her. All

that pretty fruit

rolling in the dirty street

& how bereft

her arms look, hugging air.