Goldberg

by Susanne von Rennenkampff

Suddenly, one morning,

a swirl of raspberry-red

and mottled brown -

the purple finches have arrived,

their love song so much

like the aria leading

into the Goldberg variations:

so quiet, filled with such

tenderness, it is hard

to imagine anything harsh

exists in the world. Did Bach

write this after the death

of a child? Imagine losing ten –

how do you not fall mute

with despair? And yet, here is

not only quiet acceptance

but joy: of thirty variations,

only three in a minor key.

Ten dead, and ten more

alive, and thriving.

The house filled with life,

and music, and love.

The finches, stirring

the branches of the poplar trees,

know nothing of harmony,

or everything. 

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A long-time farmer and gardener, Susanne von Rennenkampff often takes her inspiration from the natural world and her travels. Her poems have appeared in a number of literary magazines in Canada and the US, including “Room”, “The Antigonish Review”, ”Prairie Fire”, “Grain”, “The Banyan Review”, “Evening Street Review” and, upcoming, “Cirque”. A chapbook of her poetry, “In the Shelter of the Poplar Grove”, was published by The Alfred Gustav Press. She lives in rural Alberta, Canada.