Pat Swenson


Faith


They say two to four months
but I wonder
if it will take that long
for the foliage
to turn
into fertilizer
and longer
to rise up again.

The Cutlass
lies buried under
silt
so how can
the morning train
cry out
on schedule?
The Buddha says
everything must return.
I don’t believe him.
But I know the train returns
and I know the leaves return
and I want to believe.


Copyright 1995, Pat Swenson


Pat Swenson is an instructor of English in Los Angeles. She has an M.A. in English from California State University, Northridge, and an M.F.A. in poetry from Goddard College. Her work is published in several U.S. publications.


Switched-on Gutenberg
Thematic Contents /
Vol. 3, No. 1
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