Poems: Leeba Morse
Introduction by Heather Cenedella:
Leeba. Beloved. Heart.
Heart. One of the most clichéd words when it comes to writing a poem about matters of love is heart; so it’s a good thing that Leeba has such an exquisite grasp of all the other ways to express it. She doesn’t restrict herself to the love between two, but shows love in all its facets. She touches on the shadows in weddings, the pure, forgiving love between best friends, and the wonderfully bittersweet memories of time spent blossoming in Israel. Most importantly, Leeba threads through her poems the importance of loving oneself first. Beloved.
Her light words laden with meaning and lines that skip quickly down the page; Leeba lands sharp, breathtaking blows with her sweet, simple verse. She moves from comparing the limitations of college and marriage, to exchanging time for god, to the heady anticipation of a little, black skirt.
Leeba in Yiddish is interchangeable with both Beloved and Heart. As a poet, she more than lives up to her namesakes – writing equally clever poems about something as tantalizing as a confession, to something as predictable as love. Either way, Leeba’s poems offer the reader a delicious piece of herself; yet somehow still leave them longing for more.
The Bride
the bride treads
clutching lilies
bridesmaids harvested
dewed
white, pink,
along the aisle
those straining forward
breathing petals
crushed beneath manolo’s
white with gold straps.
Women cluster for the bouquet
pieced together from manicured gardens,
plucked, bound in bows
the bride
lets go,
her ammunition.
Splintered Fragments
What did I want to do in life?
Stand spotlighted to thunderous applause
Played dress up, did my hair all nice
Strutting for all the stuffed animals
spotlighted, get thunderous applause
But do it at school, get good grades
Strut for all the stuffed animals
Fragments of a childhood dream
Do it at school, get good grades
Push through until the next beginning
Fragments of a childhood dream
Splintered into adulthood
Push through until the next beginning
Starting over feels too familiar
Splintered in adulthood
Each phase comes with goodbyes
Starting over is too familiar
Impatiently awaiting the end of the start
Every phase comes with goodbyes,
It’s harder to say hello
Anxiously awaiting the end of the start
Played dress up, did my hair all nice
Each time it’s harder to say hello,
What did I want to do in life?
Leeba. Beloved. Heart.
Heart. One of the most clichéd words when it comes to writing a poem about matters of love is heart; so it’s a good thing that Leeba has such an exquisite grasp of all the other ways to express it. She doesn’t restrict herself to the love between two, but shows love in all its facets. She touches on the shadows in weddings, the pure, forgiving love between best friends, and the wonderfully bittersweet memories of time spent blossoming in Israel. Most importantly, Leeba threads through her poems the importance of loving oneself first. Beloved.
Her light words laden with meaning and lines that skip quickly down the page; Leeba lands sharp, breathtaking blows with her sweet, simple verse. She moves from comparing the limitations of college and marriage, to exchanging time for god, to the heady anticipation of a little, black skirt.
Leeba in Yiddish is interchangeable with both Beloved and Heart. As a poet, she more than lives up to her namesakes – writing equally clever poems about something as tantalizing as a confession, to something as predictable as love. Either way, Leeba’s poems offer the reader a delicious piece of herself; yet somehow still leave them longing for more.
The Bride
the bride treads
clutching lilies
bridesmaids harvested
dewed
white, pink,
along the aisle
those straining forward
breathing petals
crushed beneath manolo’s
white with gold straps.
Women cluster for the bouquet
pieced together from manicured gardens,
plucked, bound in bows
the bride
lets go,
her ammunition.
Splintered Fragments
What did I want to do in life?
Stand spotlighted to thunderous applause
Played dress up, did my hair all nice
Strutting for all the stuffed animals
spotlighted, get thunderous applause
But do it at school, get good grades
Strut for all the stuffed animals
Fragments of a childhood dream
Do it at school, get good grades
Push through until the next beginning
Fragments of a childhood dream
Splintered into adulthood
Push through until the next beginning
Starting over feels too familiar
Splintered in adulthood
Each phase comes with goodbyes
Starting over is too familiar
Impatiently awaiting the end of the start
Every phase comes with goodbyes,
It’s harder to say hello
Anxiously awaiting the end of the start
Played dress up, did my hair all nice
Each time it’s harder to say hello,
What did I want to do in life?
posted by Lea Graham at 10:28 AM
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