Paired: Krum + Paley

New York (Peony) by Gregory Krum

One Day

One day one of us will be lost to the other   this has been talked about but lightly   turning away   shyness   this business of con- fronting the preference for survival

            my mother said   the
            children are grown   we
            are both so sick   let us
            die together   my father
            replied    no no   you
            will be well    he lied
 
of course I
want you in the world
whether I’m in it or
not   your spirit
I probably mean
 
there is always
something to say   in
the end   speaking
without breath   one
of us will be lost
to the other

— Grace Paley

Comments

[nina]

heartbreaking.

[marilyn sanders]

Peonies are exquisite, but can be seen differently depending on whether the flower istill developing when the petals are tightly folded around the rich full stamen--or later when the petals open divulging the botanical's heart. As the petals fall, we realize it's life force is also ebbing away. Grace Paley's poem is a perfect pairing with the image as we face the reality of separation and death.

[AC]

Gorgeous. Looks like a Cezanne.

[wholesale imitation jewelry]

That's a great picture.i like it.

[Nix]

Great pairing. A fragile composition of words paired with a fragile decay.