Two Poems by Nathan Bergstedt
Two Poems by Nathan Bergstedt
"How Do You Deal with Writer’s Block?" and "Is It Good Luck For It To Rain At Your Wedding?"
How Do You Deal with Writer’s Block? You start by observing the trees. If it’s autumn, then you will be gifted a spectacle, but it is unnecessary since the goal is to simply crawl once again and not to fly. So consider the trees, in whatever form they may be taking and of course ignore the birds and imagine the roots that keep such mighty monoliths in place as they reach beyond the eons as well as the sky. It’s incredible to think that sharks have lived on Earth longer than trees have. They seem so ancient, as if they could predate all other known life, the true alpha and omega. You soon will realize that any attempt to crawl has been thwarted by the fact that to write is by its nature an unnatural act; the ability to speak to generations unknown; a gift of mind that reaches through the eons. You might as well fly.
Is It Good Luck For It To Rain At Your Wedding?
Seems like one of those tales
old women tell sad brides
so as to at least keep something dry.
But if it were to be, it would
suggest that marriages are akin
to a garden. A melange of thirsty
plants, leaves and fruit, wishing
for divine interference from above.
This rain, then, is surely a prayer
answered before it was given.
Of course, more old women at weddings
than not have believed in God, so
this all tracks so far.
But perhaps
we could be like wine grapes, vitis vinifera
personified, so that we may scorn the rain
as a gift not worth having, a curse
rather than some ill-planned blessing.
“May the gods keep their luck,” we proclaim,
while reaching for our well-worn umbrellas,
like a hearty root to nutrients,
from the trunk of our car.
About the Poet: Nathan Bergstedt is a poet and playwright living in northern Minnesota. His stage work has been featured at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, The Great Northern Radio Show, and Twin Cities 24. Most recently, his poetry has been featured in publications by Pinky Thinker Press, Taint Taint Taint Magazine, and New Note Poetry. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Minnesota, where he focused on poetry.