Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This week features Kevin Shyne.
Kevin retired in 2013 and moved with his wife Debi from the Chicago suburbs to Princeton in northern Illinois. Kevin’s poetry explores turning points in the lives of families and friends, as well as the healing power of nature. His poems have been published in The Grey Sparrow Journal, The Lyric, The Road Not Taken and Clementine Unbound.
His grandson inspired today’s poem, “Logan’s Bath.”
Logan, 14 months, stands beside his mother on her knees.
Swishing with her hand, she tests the water in the tub,
fiddles with the faucet and finds the perfect mix.
Leaning in, belly pressed to porcelain,
amazed by water gushing from the spout,
Logan slaps above the waterline in pure delight.
His perfect fingers break the silver skin,
dipping deeper in, he sees his submerged arms
refracted to the right.
He makes a fist and laughs
discovering that water can’t be squished
but it will bend the light.
How little does he comprehend
of optical illusions
of volume that his hand displaces
of pipes and drains
of stains dissolved in aqueous solution
of rites of absolution
of faith in God’s reunion when we rise
of immersion in the meanings water comes to symbolize
My daughter lifts him up and in.
He splashes, kicks, his eyes go wide.
He has no words to analyze or name
this wondrous stuff.
His laughter is enough.
Standing in the open door,
I watch and realize
I’d give the world to see the water gush
through Logan’s eyes.
· Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.