The Albany Poetry Workshop
Forum I: Poem for the End of the Century
Delores McAnuff-Gauntlett
A Poem for the End of The Century
When everyone tested grief
and the notion of guilt vanished
an unborn child saw the world
days before its eyes were formed
as he surveyed a lifelong setting
in which sorrow was combined
This child for unknown reasons
cried aloud from the silence
of his mother’s womb
in anticipation to greet the world
and destine a journey as individual
as man
Then there was memory
and a time, when
like a flower, became satisfied
spreading petals
to break the fall of someone
who willingly dives
unprotected
into nothingness
...and a child shall lead
January, 1997
Delores' questions:
Good Day,
I viewed your writing exercise on-line and
my participation is in reference to Poem for the End of The
Century -by Czeslaw Milosz and the poem I created as a result.
APW Questions:
How does the author assess the passing of a century from a personal point-of-view?