first day of the semester + Poetry

Ear Muffs by Andrea Gibson

My favorite teacher once told me
she wears three hats at the same time
while walking through her neighborhood
in the backwoods of Maine;
one to keep her head warm,
one to block the sun from her face,
and one bright orange hat
to keep the hunters from shooting her in the brain.

She looked at me seriously and said,
“I suppose I could get a hat that does all three
but that would be an awfully funny looking hat.”

You, my love
are a funny looking hat.

That is to say,
you are everything I need.

Forgive me for the days
I am ear muffs
in Florida
on a sandy beach
during a heat wave.