POET DAVID FEELA’S VALENTINE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON

12 Feb POET DAVID FEELA’S VALENTINE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON

Editor’s note: We received this from one of our favorite poet/authors and regular contributors, David Feela, only minutes after Jennifer Hudson sang her tribute – “I Will Always Love You” – to Whitney Houston at the Grammys.  David’s tribute, his Valentine if you will, to the great pop diva was originally published in “The New Verse News.” Read it and weep. And then watch the You Tube of “One Moment in Time.” Whitney had hers. More than 15 minutes. Much more. But still,  too few.

ON THE DEATH OF WHITNEY HOUSTON

The news of her death arrives
in a paper cup, bitter and dark,
barely enough to cover the bottom,
its sediment like a fine powder,
and though you know it’s fresh,
you’ve tasted this cup before.

All day her songs will play
on the radio, on the television,
in the short term memory
of the heart, and by the time
you tip your head back to weep,
the news will already be cold.

David Feela is a Colorado poet who resides in Arriola, Colorado, a small rural community north of Cortez. Recently retired from a 27-year teaching gig, David was a former “Colorado Voice” for the Denver Post. He worked for over a decade as a contributing editor and columnist at Inside/Outside Southwest magazine and now contributes occasional pieces to High Country News and writes a monthly piece for the Four Corners Free Press. David’s words have appeared in hundreds of regional and national publications. His first full-length book of poetry, “The Home Atlas,” is now available