On Reading Walden

In the morning she wakes
Like a sad angel from her dreams
And puts aside her hard-copy second printing of Thoreau's "Walden Pond" and tries to think about the shower or a cup of hard-earned tea
But her throat is closing with the overwhelming feeling of
Helplessness
Of drowning
The helpless drowning emptiness of losing all she worked so hard for
in the breath on an instant
In the cramming of spelling words
In the clearing of tears
In the stain on the counter
And the buttered-bread dishes in the sink.