on the fact
that the only certain fact
is death
and I did, sitting up straighter
on my fuchsia cushion
in the middle of my living room,
closing my eyes
on the sight of the daffodils
so newly released
from eight inches of snow,
focusing
on death’s certain fact. A thought
rose up
out of the great, central black:
Yes, but not yet!
and it was yellow, and sprang back.
"Meditate: said the monk in the book" is published here with the kind permission of the author.
Robin Chapman's poems have appeared recently in The Alaska Quarterly Review, The Hudson Review, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and online on One Art and Poem-A-Day. She is author of eleven books of poetry, including Panic Season (Tebot Bach 2022), Six True Things (Wisconsin Library Association's Outstanding Book of Poetry Award); the eelgrass meadow (honorable mention for the Council of Wisconsin Writers' Edna Meudt Award); The Dreamer Who Counted the Dead (WLA Outstanding Book of Poetry Award); Abundance (Cider Press Editor's Award); Images of a Complex World: The Art and Poetry of Chaos (World Scientific, with physicist J.C Sprott's fractals and explanations; recipient of the Posner Poetry Award from CWW); and The Only Home We Know (WLA Outstanding Book of Poetry Award). She is recipient of the Helen Howe Poetry Award from Appalachia and residencies from Vermont Studio Center... Read More
April 2020
Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.
Our galleries are normally open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.