Tag: Felicia Nimue Ackerman

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ Leave a comment

To My Fellow Old People (Oops, “Seniors”)

I know we’re all supposed to say
We’re not afraid to die.
But when you claim to feel that way,
I want to ask you why.
You think it’s time to step aside
Because your work is done?
No way I’ll take that as my guide—
I’m having too much fun!

“To My Fellow Old People (Oops, “Seniors”)” first appeared in Light Poetry Magazine.


Proposal to Professor Superstar

 Come marry me! Come be my love
(Or fake it that you love me).
The job I crave is at your school,
But others rank above me.

The old boy system didn’t die.
It took a new direction.
Today the favored form of pull
Is marital connection.

To hold you fast when we’re a pair,
They’ll surely want to hire me.
When I get tenure, we can split.
There’s no way they can fire me.

“Proposal to Professor Superstar” first appeared in The Providence Journal.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had around 330 poems published in a wide range of places, including twenty-eight in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ Leave a comment

Rose and Blue

My hospice room is rose and blue.
The blue is like the sky.
They think that if you’re happy here,
You’ll be content to die.
They proffer comfort, warmth, and peace,
All shining like the sun.
They strive to meet your every need.
They meet all needs but one.
So now I have another scheme,
My object all sublime.
I’ve gotten on a transplant list,
And so I bide my time.

“Rose and Blue” first appeared in Ragged Edge Online.


Professor Superstar

He values his peers, but he snubs lesser scholars
As if they could scarcely be seen.
He thinks that this shows that his standards are lofty.
It really just shows that he’s mean.

“Professor Superstar” first appeared in The Providence Journal.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 300 poems published in a wide range of places, including twenty-six in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ 1 Comment

Death Can Be Good

Death can be good.
I’ll tell you how.
Just have it come
Decades from now.

“Death Can Be Good” first appeared in Time Magazine.


Simon’s Sentiments

Can’t resist those cakes and pies?
I don’t judge you by your size.
I won’t care if you get fat.
I’ll still love you–
I’m your cat.

“Simon’s Sentiments” first appeared in The Providence Journal.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 300 poems published in a wide range of places, including twenty-four in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ Leave a comment

This is for My Grandmother

This is for my grandmother, Carolyn Colby.
“Terminal cancer,” the doctor said. His eyes filled with tears.
“I’ll get you the best hospice care in Boston.” He put his arm around her.
My grandmother’s eyes were cloudy but dry.
She said, “I’m 84, I’ve had a good life, so I don’t want to die.
I want experimental treatment.”
“That would ruin the months you’ve got left,” the doctor said.
My grandmother said, “I’ll risk it,” and she did
And had a fatal stroke
On her ninety-third birthday.

“This is for My Grandmother” first appeared in The Providence Journal.


Opening Lines

“There is no Frigate like a Book”
Will make you take another look.
“I wandered lonely as a cloud”
Has surely done its author proud.
“Tell me not (Sweet) I am unkind”
Secures a place within my mind.
The moral is: Do not despair;
A great first line is hardly rare.

“Opening Lines” first appeared as a letter in The New York Times Book Review in response to Elisa Gabbert, who said, “Truly great first lines are rare.”




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 280 poems published in a wide range of places, including twenty-two in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ Leave a comment

My New Year’s Resolutions

Every day caress my cat.
Brush him to a golden sheen.
Surf the Net and tour the world
Here on my computer screen.
See that every single meal
Features cookies, pie, or cake.
Resolutions on this list
Surely I will never break.

“My New Year’s Resolutions” first appeared in The New York Times Metropolitan Diary.


The Guest Selects Her Own Indulgences

with apologies to Emily Dickinson

The guest selects her own indulgences,
Then fills a plate
With sweets whose sheer deliciousness
Brooks no debate.

Unmoved, she notes the carrots waiting,
Then turns away,
Unmoved, until her eyes alight on
The pastry tray.

I’ve known her from an ample table,
Choose four,
Then set the force of her attention
On more.

“The Guest Selects Her Own Indulgences” first appeared in The Emily Dickinson International Society Bulletin.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 280 poems published in a wide range of places, including twenty in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ Leave a comment

Old Age Be Not Sugarcoated

Your language has me groaning.
I hate to be a scold,
But please don’t call me older
Instead of simply old.
And even worse is senior.
It makes me quite irate.
I haven’t been a senior
Since 1968!

“Old Age Be Not Sugarcoated” originally appeared in Light.


A Crispy Thanksgiving

I’m grateful for crispy-skinned turkey
And pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream
And freshly made biscuits with butter,
A dinner fulfilling my dream.

I’m grateful for loose-fitting garments
That cover my bulge without fail.
I’m grateful that one of my cronies
Has tactfully hidden my scale.

“A Crispy Thanksgiving” originally appeared in Lighten Up Online.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 260 poems published in a wide range of places, including eighteen in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ 1 Comment

Professor Superstar Turns 65

Today is your 65th birthday.
Your status is ever so clear.
Your colleagues have set up a tribute
Extolling your shining career.

They bask in the secondhand honor
That flows from their honoring you.
They thrill to the visiting speakers,
Who radiate eminence too.

“Society’s far too unequal,”
Your colleagues are prone to lament.
But strictly within their profession,
They worship the top one percent.

“Professor Superstar Turns 65” first appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education.


Dessert is Counted Sweetest

after Emily Dickinson’s “Success”

Dessert is counted sweetest
By those who need to diet.
When doctors won’t stop nagging,
I fantasize a riot.
Not one of all the cakes and pies
I might forgo today
Could fail to bring me pleasure–
Though later, much dismay.

“Dessert is Counted Sweetest” first appeared in The Emily Dickinson International Society Bulletin.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 250 poems published in a wide range of places, including sixteen in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ 5 Comments

Spend an Afternoon with Annie

Annie’s always calm and cheerful,
Speaks no ill of friend or foe,
Always prudent and productive,
Meets temptation with a no.

Never gossips, never grumbles,
Eats fresh fruit instead of cake.
Spend an afternoon with Annie–
See how long you stay awake.


Lenore in the Sunlight

I wake at dawn and face the sun,
Whose rays caress my head.
I glory in the morning light,
Though I can’t leave my bed.

My will is strong, my body weak.
Please help me stay alive.
It’s much too soon for me to die;  
I’m only ninety-five.

“Spend an Afternoon with Annie” and “Lenore in the Sunlight” first appeared in The Providence Journal.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 230 poems published in a wide range of places, including several in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ Leave a comment

Song of a Future Age

Children of the present age,
Reading this indignant page,
Know that in a former time,
Longer life was thought a crime.

“Elders needing doctors’ care
Cost us more than we can spare.
Elders who retain their health
Rob the young of jobs and wealth.

Fourscore years are all you need.
Seeking more reveals your greed.
Live your numbered years with zest.
Then go sweetly to your rest.”

So the pundits used to say
Till we reached a better day.
Children, how our lifespans grew:
I’m 300—you’ll be too.

“Song of a Future Age” first appeared in Blake House.


On the Snow

We’re all supposed to love the Earth
And thrill to nature’s bold displays.
We’re all supposed to be entranced
When nature sends us snowy days.

But I just tumbled on the snow
And gave my knee a nasty whack.
If I’m supposed to love the Earth,
The Earth should try to love me back.

“On the Snow” first appeared in The Providence Journal.




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 230 poems published in a wide range of places, including twelve in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.

Two Poems by Felicia Nimue Ackerman

~ Randal A. Burd, Jr. ~ 1 Comment

I Am So Lucky to Be Here

My daughter keeps telling me I am so lucky to be here.
She means instead of in her five-bedroom home,
Which always has space for another child
But not for a grandmother in a wheelchair.
I am so lucky to be here.
My room is yellow as the sun,
Which warms my face
When I roll out onto the porch
And endure people I have nothing in common with
Except age and abandonment.
For so long I dreaded being shut away from the world,
But I am so lucky to be here,
The best nursing home in Rhode Island,
Instead of where I would be if people knew
That what killed my unfaithful husband
Was not an accident.

“I Am So Lucky to Be Here” first appeared in Providence Journal


Simplify

Simplify, simplify, lectured Thoreau,
Chop your own wood and eat food that you grow.
Farming, however, is messy and gritty.
So I say: Simplify, live in the city!

“Simplify” first appeared in Light




Felicia Nimue Ackerman is a professor of philosophy at Brown University and has had over 220 poems published in a wide range of places, including ten in past issues of Sparks of Calliope.