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Poems

June 1996

Summer storm

by Dana Gioia

We stood on the rented patio
While the party went on inside.
You knew the groom from college.
I was a friend of the bride.

 

We hugged the brownstone wall behind us
To keep our dress clothes dry
And watched the sudden summer storm
Floodlit against the sky.

 

The rain was like a waterfall
Of brilliant beaded light,
Cool and silent as the stars
The storm hid from the night.

 

To my surprise you took my arm—
A gesture you didn’t explain—
And we spoke in whispers, as if we two
Might imitate the rain.

 

Then suddenly the storm receded
As swiftly as it came.
The doors behind us opened up.
The hostess called your name.


I watched you merge into the group,
Aloof and yet polite.
We didn’t speak another word
Except to say good nig ...

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This article originally appeared in The New Criterion, Volume 14 June 1996, on page 32

Copyright © 2009 The New Criterion | www.newcriterion.com

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