Five Poems from Unexpected Shiny Things

By Bruce Dethlefsen, Wisconsin Poet Laureate

Shiny Things

I hide coins for my son to find
drop nickels ‘round the playground swing
seed quarters under sawdust by the slide
place dimes beside the whirlawheel
I act surprised when he discovers
a penny along the woodchip trail
delight in the excitement on his face
his lucky smile finding unexpected shiny things

I seek objects that shine
collect and hold them in my hands
assorted coins that shimmer
crows so bright they start
the fire burning in the sky
my son his brilliant eyes
I turn them in the light
then hide them in my heart

Gone to Ground

it takes a patch of soil
some water and the sun
to raise a plant
you make decisions
how much this and that
you feed the youngster
clear the weeds
you tend to pay attention

now there he lies     my son
fenced in and covered in the bed
his bandaged head
gauze white and crusted red
his eyes taped shut
a glut of tubes
around his nose and mouth

I make my three decisions
first no more resuscitations
save your breath     stand down
go call the donor folks
it’s almost harvest time
and last at ease
unplug all those machines
please stop that awful hissing sound
what’s grown so loved is gone to ground

I try to find a place
a somewhere on his face
to plant my final kiss

Anniversary

I punch in contacts
and dial up my dead
son’s phone number
as I drive by
his house on admiral
where of course he doesn’t
live there any more
but cell phones are after all
miraculous devices

I park my car
and admire the lawn
green smooth clean cut
mown grass the smell
of grass just mown
the phone rings and rings
the edges of the lawn
are perfectly trimmed
how neat
how awfully admirable

Missing a Spot

I wipe and dry the casserole dish
that fancy one with the see-through glass cover
and as I reach to put it in the cupboard
I discover I remember aunt nancy

now she’s been gone forever
yet there she was
in the kitchen telling me
I missed a spot

they never really ever
go away do they

one touch recalls a thought
a thought a notion
the notion a feeling
the feeling an emotion

so then we cry or not or smile
mostly somewhere in between

and when you go
waterfall everything
will remind me of you

Wealthy

after my reading
a very serious sixth grade girl
asked me if I was wealthy
well I said I have twenty-two
dollars in my wallet right now
my purple truck has two hundred
and thirty-five thousand miles on it
I’m wearing clean and mended clothes
I’ll sleep in a warm bed tonight
I’ve got my health my hands my eyes
my family and friends who love me
and I can come here to sennett middle school
to read poetry to you guys for free
so yes I’m very wealthy
wealthy indeed

Bruce Dethlefsen was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1948 and moved to Wisconsin in 1966. He is Wisconsin Poet Laureate for 2011/2012, under the sponsorship of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. Bruce’s poems have been featured on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac and Your Daily Poem, where he was Poet-of-the-Month. Bruce also performs original music with Bill Orth as Obvious Dog on Cathryn Cofell’s CD, Lip. His new collection, Unexpected Shiny Things, is available from Cowfeather Press.

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The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters

The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters announced last summer that it will steward the Wisconsin Poet Laureate position and provide staff support for the Poet Laureate Commission. [To donate to the Poet Laureate position, visit The Academy's website.] “The Wisconsin Poet Laureate is more than just a symbolic appointment,” says Wisconsin Academy executive director Margaret Lewis. “The poet laureate plays a crucial role in keeping the arts accessible and vital—to all age groups—and acts as a statewide emissary for poetry and creativity. The Wisconsin Academy will support the Poet Laureate Commission for the foreseeable future in order to ensure the survival of this meaningful program.” As part of the new stewardship arrangement, the Wisconsin Academy will provide space for Wisconsin Poets Laureate both past and present and related Poet Laureate Commission information on their website, provide publicity for the current poet laureate, and aid in the search and selection of future poets laureate. In addition the Wisconsin Academy will act as the Poet Laureate Commission’s fiscal sponsor, accepting charitable contributions on behalf of the Commission in order to pay expenses related to Wisconsin Poet Laureate activities as well as to enhance the Commission’s growing endowment. “The Poet Laureate Commission is extremely pleased that the highly respected Wisconsin Academy stepped forward as steward of the Wisconsin Poet Laureate program after Governor Walker discontinued the State’s stewardship," says Poet Laureate Commission co‐chair Jane Hamblen. “The program has selected four distinguished poets laureate over the last decade. The relationship with the Wisconsin Academy will allow this celebration of poetry and creativity in Wisconsin to continue for many years to come.”

About the Wisconsin Academy

Founded in 1870, the Wisconsin Academy applies the sciences, arts, and letters to bring context, civilized discussion, and meaningful action to the most important issues and ideas of today. It creates spaces—public forums, art galleries, publications—where citizens join together to examine the challenges of our times, suggest solutions, and look at the world in new ways. It celebrates and preserves Wisconsin’s human, cultural, and natural resources. In this way the Wisconsin Academy connects people and ideas for a better Wisconsin. Wisconsin Academy programs include the James Watrous Gallery at the Overture Center for the Arts, a gallery by and for Wisconsin artists; Wisconsin People & Ideas, a quarterly magazine about Wisconsin thought and culture; Academy Evenings, a statewide series of public forums; and the Wisconsin Idea, a public policy program—the most recent of which focuses on “The Future of Farming and Rural Life in Wisconsin.” For more information on programs and events, or to become a member of the Wisconsin Academy, visit wisconsinacademy.org.

About the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission

The Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission is the volunteer selection and support body for the Wisconsin Poet Laureate. Governor Tommy Thompson created the commission on July 31, 2000 and Governor Jim Doyle renewed the Commission’s charter during his term. Five statewide organizations—the Council for Wisconsin Writers, the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association, the Wisconsin Humanities Council, and the Wisconsin Arts Board—were directed to appoint members to the Poet Laureate Commission. The Commission’s duties are to plan and conduct the poet laureate selection process, assign responsibilities to the new poet laureate, and assist that individual in performing official duties. The Wisconsin Poet Laureate is asked to contribute to the growth of poetry in this state, plan and attend at least four statewide literary events each year, and perform in at least four government, state, and civic events as requested by Wisconsin school systems, libraries, and literary organizations.