American Life in Poetry

This wistful poem shows how the familiar and the odd, the real and imaginary, exist side by side. A Midwestern father transforms himself from a staid businessman into a rock 'n' roll star, reclaiming a piece of his imaginary youth. In the end, it shows how fragile moments might be recovered to offer a glimpse into our inner lives.

In New York City for a conference
on weed control, leaving the hotel
in a cluster of horticulturists,
he alone stops, Midwestern, crewcut,
narrow blue tie, cufflinks, wingtips,
holds the door for the Asian woman
in a miniskirt and thigh high
white leather boots. She nods
slightly, a sad and beautiful gesture.
Neither smile, as if performing
a timeless ritual, as if anticipating
the loss of a son or a lover.

Years later, Christmas, inexplicably
he dons my mother's auburn wig,
my brother's wire-rimmed glasses,
and strikes a pose clowning
with my second hand acoustic guitar.
He is transformed, a working class hero
and a door whispers shut,
like cherry blossoms falling.

Reprinted from 'Folio,' Winter 2004, by permission of the author. Copyright 2004 by Christopher Chambers, who teaches creative writing at Loyola University New Orleans. This column is supported by the Poetry Foundation, the Library of Congress, and the department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.