22 Feb Pantoum In Which It’s Already Too Late by Carol Mikoda
While a rhythmic pounding lurks at the edge of earshot,
the stillness drags you down into lost cities of vinegar and bone,
so you escape in your car and drive past green lakes of fallow fields.
When the rhythmic pounding accelerates, at the edge of earshot,
you drive faster as the wind rises to sing a new song in yellow leaves.
Acre by acre, to the east and west, green lakes of fallow fields fly by.
You park, choosing to walk along the state highway, yelling at speeders.
You almost run when the wind sings its new song in yellow leaves.
You join in with catchphrases and slogans you hear from all directions,
walking along the state highway, dodging, yelling at speeding cars.
You expect things to change because you notice your mind’s own darkness.
You answer with catchphrases from clouds, from the wind’s new direction,
but the eclipse drags you down into lost cities of vinegar and bone.
Don’t expect things to change simply because you notice the earth’s darkness.
It’s already too late to prepare for when the lake simmers in stillness.
About the Poet
Carol Mikoda (she/her) is a retired educator who walks, sings, and writes from the eastern shore of Seneca Lake in Hector, New York. Her poems draw heavily on natural imagery from her surroundings in the Finger Lakes; as a guest in the original homeland of the living Haudenosaunee Confederacy, she extends her respect and gratitude to the many Indigenous people who call this land home. Her work has appeared in many literary journals and newspapers.
Her books and chapbooks include While You Wait (2021), Wind and Water, Leaf and Lake (Finishing Line Press, 2023), and Outside of Time (Kelsay Books, 2025). She is also the author of the essay “From Teacher Leader to Political Leader,” which appeared in Resisting Reform: Reclaiming Public Education Through Grassroots Activism (Information Age Publishing, 2015).
Related Event
-
- The Literary Café Series at the CFI will feature poets Carol Mikoda and Ruth Robson reading from their work on Wednesday, March 4th at 7:30 p.m. at The Center for Inquiry, 1310 Sweet Home Rd. in Amherst, NY. Ryki Zuckerman is the curator and host of the series. The event is free and open to the public..
The Poem of the Week feature is curated by literary legacy awardee R.D. Pohl.