Aubade
by Wes Matthews
As nature’s heads awaken, I hold
My desire by the sacrifice, morning.
Florets in the light of solitude, sunshade
Emeralds crowned this cynic eye,
The overlawn of song birds drawn
Endless to new sites for lovemaking,
Wings flitting with their want in the open.
By noon, I stand in the shadow passing,
My own contrast, the absolute smallness
Of my living. There is something left for me
To become: honeybees never stop for divine
Order, not once need to be told pollinate or life is short.
One day, I want to be so certain that I am made
To love that I never wait for command or even wade
In the afterthought, I just carry along with it—my wonder,
My wandering, whatever the world needs of me.
Wes Matthews is a Detroit-born, Philadelphia-based poet and essayist. Wes served as the 2018-19 Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate and received the Congressional Award for “outstanding and invaluable service to the community.” He is the recipient of the 2020 College Alumni Society Prize for his poetry and the 2020 Lillian and Benjamin Levy Award for his music criticism.