"The Bearing Edge" by Ralph James Savarese

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
July 26, 2023 

The Bearing Edge

Ralph James Savarese
For DJ

My son starts every conversation  
with the statement “I love you, Dad.”  

“I love you, Dad. What’s for dinner tonight?”  
“I love you, Dad. Is it supposed to rain?”  

“I love you, Dad. Can we go for a walk?”  
“I love you, Dad, but you really have to chill.”  

He’s like the guy who wears a bow tie  
to the bar and to the beach.  

He’s a dandy of affection, at once  
rolling up his pennies and spending them  

on ice cream. He’ll wear this phrase  
to heaven (he’s already been to hell—  

what he calls fostercareless). If  
Orpheus had a lyre, then he has a bearing  

edge. He will not drum without it:  
“I love you, Dad.” 

He moves forward by glancing back, 
and no one is ever lost. 

The sky sells cotton candy;  
the trees, shade. 

Love—it’s a kind of leash, invisible,  
expanding, and I’m his big, happy dog.

Copyright © 2023 by Ralph James Savarese. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 26, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets. 

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast 

  

“Adoption is often presented as the last resort of a desperate couple. No one would choose to adopt if they could have their own children, and certainly no one would choose a so-called ‘damaged’ child. I wanted to unseat this logic, and I found in my son’s refrain a kind of glorious drumbeat where the horror of the past gives way to the promise of the future. When I remembered the term for the rim of a drum’s shell, ‘the bearing edge,’ I knew that I had a pun I could work with.”
—Ralph James Savarese

Ralph James Savarese
Ralph James Savarese is the author of When This Is Over: Pandemic Poems (Ice Cube Press, 2020) and the coauthor, with Stephen Kuusisto, of Someone Falls Overboard: Talking Through Poems (Nine Mile Books, 2021). He is a professor of English at Grinnell College in Iowa.
 
When This Is Over: Pandemic Poems
When This Is Over: Pandemic Poems
(Ice Cube Press, 2020)


“Toy Cloud” by Nathan Hoks
read more
“Blueberries for Cal” by Brenda Shaughnessy
read more

Thanks to John Lee Clark, author of How to Communicate (W. W. Norton & Company, 2022), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read or listen to a Q&A about Clark’s curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.
“Poem-a-Day is brilliant because it makes space in the everyday racket for something as meaningful as a poem.” —Tracy K. Smith

If this series is meaningful to you, join the community of Poem-a-Day supporters by making a gift today. Now serving more than 320,000 daily subscribers, this publication is only possible thanks to the contributions of readers like you.
 
Copyright © 2023 The Academy of American Poets, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.



Our mailing address is:
The Academy of American Poets
75 Maiden Lane
STE #901
New York, NY 10038

Add us to your address book


View this email in your browser

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from all Academy messages.

For any other questions, please visit the Poem-a-Day FAQ page.

Older messages

Announcing the 2023 Poet Laureate Fellows

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

July 25, 2023 The Academy of American Poets Awards $1.1 Million to 23 Poets Laureate Across the United States Twenty-three poets laureate of states, counties, and cities across the nation will each

"Otters" by Raymond Luczak

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

in a documentary / they dove in Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day July 25, 2023 Otters Raymond Luczak Raymond Luczak performs his ASL poem “Otters,” with voiceover and subtitles in English

"My Friend, Her Grandson" by Pia Täavila-Borsheim

Monday, July 24, 2023

The wind is blue. / Blue, the boy tells me. Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day July 24, 2023 My Friend, Her Grandson Pia Täavila-Borsheim Brigantine Beach I. The wind is blue. Blue, the boy

"The Author’s Picture" by Thomas Blacklock

Sunday, July 23, 2023

While in my matchless graces wrapt I stand, Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the work of 260 poets

"On the Death of Sir Erasmus Philips" by Anna Williams

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Why dash the floods! What cries my soul affright! Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the work of 260

You Might Also Like

Kim Kardashian Stunned In Princess Diana’s Necklace On The Red Carpet

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The LACMA Art + Film Gala looks were epic. The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 11.4.2024 As soon as the calendar switches over to September, I usually go all in on the autumnal vibes. That means

5 Reasons to Ditch Your Bank and Join a Credit Union

Monday, November 4, 2024

My Favorite Apple Intelligence Feature Is Notification Management. A credit union is better for your bottom line and offers you something banks never will: A voice. Not displaying correctly? View this

Coal CEOs are the new crypto bros

Monday, November 4, 2024

Alliance Resource Partners isn't just mining coal anymore. It's also mining Bitcoin. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Kim Kardashian Wore Princess Diana’s $200K Necklace With A Plunging Gown

Monday, November 4, 2024

Plus, Dolly Parton's beauty routine, Jennifer Lawrence's fave sneakers, your horoscope, & more. Nov. 4, 2024 Bustle Daily Procedurals Are Perfect Comfort TV For Election Anxiety Procedurals

‘I’m a Gay, Devout Muslim Man. How Can I Find Love Without Betraying My Family?’

Monday, November 4, 2024

Today in style, self, culture, and power. The Cut November 4, 2024 ESTHER CALLING 'I'm a Gay, Devout Muslim Man. How Can I Find Love Without Betraying My Family?' Esther Perel talks to this

15 Can't Miss Holiday Gift Ideas From the Editors of Men's Health

Monday, November 4, 2024

Men's Health Shop logo FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $50+ View in Browser Men's Health Holiday Gift Picks rotating Men's Health Editors Solve Your Shopping Dilemmas Holiday shopping doesn't

MIDDI Rewind: Let It Glow

Monday, November 4, 2024

Three buys to add sparkle, shine and ambiance to your holiday celebrations. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Boulder

Monday, November 4, 2024

Visiting my mom in Maine ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Density And Specialization

Monday, November 4, 2024

Businesses, products, and services come after people ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

How Kamala Harris Made 2024 a Real Race

Monday, November 4, 2024

Trump was headed toward an easy win before Harris stepped in ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏