Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours Showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. Today’s poet is Rick Brooks.
Brooks is the co-founder of Little Free Library, an organization that uses creative ways to store books for the public to take for free. Brooks is also the founder of Midwest Partners, a local non-profit working in areas like economic development, public arts, youth services and more in his hometown of Princeton, Illinois. The group took part in the NEA Big Read 2025-26, a nationwide reading initiative. The book that was chosen was edited by former U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón. Brooks wrote “Oh Wow Ms. Limón” for the former laureate.
Oh wow, Ms. Limón.
You just reintroduced me to
poetry after all these years. I used to look for my old faves
Mr. Ferlingetti. Eli Siegel. You know. The San Francisco boys. Kenneth Patchen.
But only one of them seemed to have your deep smile
and delight. You can guess which one I bet
Here I am under a comforter, an electric blanket, sheets
And a quilt at 5:30 in the January morning
Listening to the wind and watching the trees outside my window
And there you are
Reading 12 poems, just as you promised
I’m wondering at first what makes these
Poems.
Something more than just clever sentences and observations
But then you let the hints turn into delights
And of course, you are smiling
Talking about love and amazements
Dandelions
Your favorite color
Yellow.
You got me.
**
Lovely
That you would think
You love me
Even though you barely know
Or even knew me then.
Move than lovely.
More than oh boy!
What’s happening here?
And when you began to find out
You still did
Have what seemed like oceans
Of love for me
And you
What we were.
Even now
When that
Seems more like tiny islands
Between the tides and storms and
Endless waves
It’s still lovely.
Yours truly,
