Should I mention the latebloomers,
how they purple September?
though it’s true: sometimes buds
shrink into early frost.
Sometimes it never happens.

Should we discuss the underdog,
that slower, more plodding hero?
Our own dog is aging fast. I help her
to her feet each morning, another heartbreak
coming. And yes, maybe some perspective,

as this is no death. Let’s remember
the wars and floods of the world, 
though what is a war but another contest
of strength and muscle and one flood
is always being measured against another.

You skated, but not fast enough. 
You passed the puck, but not as well as another
boy. The coach watched you,
eyes keen, sharp as as a skate
blade (a little bit cruel). He looked away. 

I don’t know how to take away 
this hurt. It’s so uncool, being loved
by your mother. My love for you is sure and stacked
like laundry. My love for you is wide - you know this - 
and still as any frozen lake.

JENNIFER MANTHEY’s first book of poems, ‘The Fight’, won the Trio Award and was published in 2023 by Trio House Press. Her poems have appeared in places such as Prairie Schooner, Calyx Journal, Poet Lore, Best New Poets, and RHINO. She has received support from Bread Loaf Writers Workshops and MVICW. She lives in Minneapolis, teaches classes at The Loft Literary Center, and works in non-profit development.