“Visit to Sete” by Lynn Tudor Deming
Long drive down the coast to reach
That small cemetery set over the sea
White tombstones tilting their sails
Under the fragrant pines
Immensity of light.
An old man with his cane
Perched alone in the staggering sun
Come to feed the cats
Elegant in a blue turtleneck
Knowing the hunger of the stray.
My father lay once in the nursing home
His cane by the bed
Fully attired for his visitors in slacks, jacket–
A faint aroma of urine–
Elegant still,
And far down the coast
Tilting away
Maybe already perched out
Impeccable
In the shimmering air.
____________________
Share your response to this work, in any form, here
Lynn Tudor Deming’s Artist Statement: Lynn’s chapbook, “Heady Rubbish,” was selected by Robert Pinsky for the Philbrick Poetry Prize in 2005. In 2014 she was a semi-finalist in the Crab Orchard First Book Contest. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Atlanta Review, Bellingham Review, and New South. In 2015 she was awarded an International Publication Prize by Atlanta Review, and was a 2014 finalist in the 49th Parallel Award for Poetry. She was also national runner-up in the 2011 Cape Cod National Poetry Competition (judge Gerald Stern). Other honors include a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and two commendations in the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and currently lives in Connecticut with her cat Billy.
