Denise Duhamel


Poem in Which I Realize What I Have Taken for Granted


free speech lifejackets tap water planes
seeds safety for children that the STOP sign meant something
electricity Wi-Fi a flushing toilet your understanding
mail delivery laws bank accounts FEMA
my ability to get my way at least sometimes
phone service my fridge covers for my bed my bed
my hands my feet my eyesight ice cream floats parade floats
dental floss that somebody cared the breeze
the air breathable air doctors prescriptions grocery stores
free samples at Costco freedom from tyranny
my rights my writing my right to privacy


Also by Denise Duhamel (with Maureen Seaton): "Death Is Not a Riddle," "Yes, And," and "13 Lines about Walls"

Denise Duhamel’s most recent books of poetry are Second Story (Pittsburgh, 2021) and Scald (2017). Blowout (2013) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is a distinguished university professor in the MFA program at Florida International University in Miami.

ISSN 2472-338X
© 2023