In Memory of Carol Coffee Reposa we are re-publishing the poem she wrote for our series Life in the Time of Covid-19

News and Commentary

Life in the Time of COVID-19, Part 9

Poetry

We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring to you a poem by Carol Coffee Reposa, the 2018 Texas Poet Laureate and one of our favorite poets. And we are pairing it with the painting, “Mountain Monastery in Montenegro” by our editor Jasmina Wellinghoff. We also want to thank the journal Tejascovido where Carol’s poem was first published.

A COVID-19 Sacrement
By Carol Coffee Reposa

“Wash your hands,” the doctors say.
So I wash them.
“Keep calm and wash your hands,”
The Alamodome sign decrees.
Hot water rushes between my fingers
And over my upturned palms.

“Wash your hands long enough to sing
‘Happy Birthday to You’ twice,”
The radio voice commands.
I work up a rich lather
Foam and bubbles everywhere.
With luck and suds perhaps I’ll rid myself
Of every misbegotten molecule,
Each errant cell.

“All the perfumes of Arabia
Will not sweeten this little hand,”
Lady Macbeth laments.
So I wash still more,
Stronger soap and hotter water.
Maybe with such scrubbing I can shed
Those secret silent grudges,
Envy of another’s car or dress or poem,
The time I bit my sister’s arm
And almost hit a vein,
Her blood dripping on the floor.
I want to rinse it all away,
Rinse off Syria and Yemen,
Iraq and Afghanistan, the toddler’s body
Washed up on a Mediterranean shore,
His shoes still neatly tied.

I will strip it all,
Peel off the sickened layers,
Scour through skin, muscle, sinew
Even the memory of Pontius Pilate

Until I finally behold
Clean bones
And wait.

COMMENTS

  1. MaryLovely sentiment!
    I only wish hot water and lots of lathering bubbles could wash away the hate and animosity which Seem to be running wild in our blessed America today.
    “God Bless America“ is my cry as we go forward.
    Thanks Carol!
  2. Diane BThe poem moves from a small gesture into a global “washing” away of misery. I am “waiting” right beside you, Carol.

Comments

Comments

  1. You will be so missed, Carol. I am grateful for your poetry, every last line.

  2. Thank you for reprinting this wonderful poem. Carol was supportive and encouraging to many writers and poets. I will miss her lovely smile and sense of humor.

  3. Carol Coffee Reposa, your poetry, your voice, your amistad will forever resonate.

  4. We have lost James Brandenburg, Wendy Barker, and now Carol Coffee Resposa. Their voices will not be silenced.

  5. She was a dear friend, a powerful advocate, and I will miss her terribly. A very fine poet.

  6. Carol and I celebrated each other’s birthdays every March and October for many years while teaching at SAC. She was such a good friend, mentor, and inspiration. When I called her to celebrate her birthday in October, I was surprised that she never responded. Later, I found out from a mutual friend that she had suffered a serious health setback and had moved. God bless and comfort you, my friend. May you rest in peace. Nora Olivares

  7. Carol, dear friend to all, Our world is diminished with your passing, but your beautiful poetry lives on. Thank you for every moment of our time together. We love you, Janice and Bert

Comments are closed.