CL Bledsoe

You Must Believe in Spring


Fire burns from the bottom up,
when you’ve stacked the wood
correctly. Most mornings,
I lie awake thinking of your face,
the way you throw your head back
when you laugh, eyes closed
in explosion. Are you laughing, now?
Are you happy? When it’s chilly,
I make fires with the wood I bought
to burn with you. If it’s not cold
enough, I open the door. Poem drafts.
Boxes. Kindling. Gifts in every room.
You left so much in my life when
you said goodbye. A tornado
in once clear skies. Everything scattered
and broken behind. Crows
try to nest in my chimney, laughing
as they soar away.





Bio: Raised on a rice and catfish farm in eastern Arkansas, CL Bledsoe is the author of more than thirty books, including the poetry collections Riceland, The Bottle Episode, and his newest, Driving Around, Looking in Other People's Windows, as well as his latest novels Goodbye, Mr. Lonely and The Saviors. Bledsoe lives in northern Virginia with his daughter.