First Light
A poem
Spiders in the cold,
bees in inarticulate bunches
hang from a day’s work.
Waiting for light they wait
to see what they will be.
A tree lets down
green undersides and is maple.
A window glints —
a thing of saffron
kindles with singlehood.
In the broad yard
each thing dandles
its blue, its name, its consequence.
John Barr, “First Light” from The Hundred Fathom Curve: New & Collected Poems. Copyright © 2011 by John Barr. Reprinted by permission of Red Hen Press. Source: The Hundred Fathom Curve: New & Collected Poems (Red Hen Press, 2011).
John Barr’s poems have been published in six books, four fine press editions, and many magazines, including The New York Times, Poetry, and others. John was also the Inaugural President of the Poetry Foundation. His newest book, The Boxer of Quirinal, was published by Red Hen Press in June 2023. You can view more of his work at johnbarrpoetry.com and on Instagram (@johnbarrpoetry). Buy the book.
