Frank Ledwell: Poet Laureate 2004-2007

Frank Ledwell was appointed Poet Laureate in December 2004, serving until December 2007. He died on August 14, 2008, at the age of 78.

Tranquility

When our children have gone at last,

we’ll go and live by the ocean shore

on the far side of the lake. We’ll cock our

ears to catch the surf’s crashing against

the dunes. Whenever the wind howls and

our electricity fails, as it surely will,

our kerosene lamp will make a glow

around our narrow space. We’ll wage war

at cards until the tide’s retreating — its

trumps all played out — draws us back

to serenity. I will be old, you still young,

or relatively so. We’ll munch on mussels

and dulse to keep healthy, and crush

lobster shells to fertilize our flower patch.

We’ll count the time that’s left to us

from day to day — not years. We’ll stay

till the time must come for us to cross.