William R. Stoddart: “Springhouse Redux”
SPRINGHOUSE REDUX
I recall sepulchral walls, sun
through pines, cool light
on wet blocks, the wall prepared
to draw paint into pores and cracks
each spring after winter’s thaw.
I think of restoring ancient ruins,
awakening relics with burning sunlight,
the whitewash like a river fresh,
transporting me back each year.
And when I’ve finished the task,
the chalky white paint shrinking
into dimples and cracks, I feel
the light soft over me like dawn,
freezing this synthesis of light
and shadow like a photo taken
each spring to remind me
of dark days left behind.
Though I could delay the task
and assign my time to better use,
I’m drawn to the walls each year,
imagining washed-out bones from
vaulted shadows, an ancient ruin
restored, born anew, a river fresh
to birth a watercolor spring.
William R. Stoddart‘s poetry has appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, New York Quarterly, South Florida Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. His fiction has appeared in Litro Magazine, Molotov Cocktail, Literally Stories, and other publications.