We walked in the street on Joralemon Street.
(Geraniums white and geraniums pink
Brightened the flats on Joralemon Street.)
The sun rode the brownstones
A short pace away.
And turned before setting the night on the day
To wave us a shadow that banded the street.
(Geraniums guarded Joralemon Street.)
He slid from the housetops
And hurried away
Leaving night in his place on the husk of the day,
And we walked in the shadows along the dark street
And knew how geraniums smell in the dusk.
(Geraniums white and geraniums pink
Brightened the flats on Joralemon Street.)
The sun rode the brownstones
A short pace away.
And turned before setting the night on the day
To wave us a shadow that banded the street.
(Geraniums guarded Joralemon Street.)
He slid from the housetops
And hurried away
Leaving night in his place on the husk of the day,
And we walked in the shadows along the dark street
And knew how geraniums smell in the dusk.
-Patricia Hubbell
Here is another poem from the On City Streets poetry anthology. When I first read Joralemon Street, I wasn't very taken with it, but have learned to love it for the mood it invokes. Here is an article that mentions the anthology, and shares feelings of nostalgia like mine. It also clued me into the pronunciation of Joralemon, after all these years.
5 comments:
Really enjoyed this and the article, Deborah.
Which reminds me, it's time to do the geranium seeds. It's much easier just to buy them as mature plants but my wife is partial to varieties generally unavailable locally. Check it out.
Anyway, 150 seeds await me. If you nick the outer coating and soak them overnight you'll get a 100% germination ratio. Labor intensive, sure. Time consuming pain in the ass, most definitely, especially with my failing eyesight. But it makes my wife happy and that's my sole purpose in life.
Hey! Did I use the word "ratio" properly back there?
Glad you liked it, Darcy.
Bat, I've yet to get around to it, but I have dreams of starting massive amounts of seeds indoors one of these years. Better yet, a greenhouse :)
What a tease. You tell us there's a proper way to pronounce Joralemon. And then you leave us hanging. I demand a refund!
I'm sorry, I didn't realize your clicking finger was broken :) I always pronounced it Jora lemon, as did the linked author, but it's pronounced Jo RAL amon. I've read elsewhere that it's of Middle Eastern origin, not sure which language.
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