Greetings! In this Meditative Poetry Reading (first of many-to-come!), I read a poem and then investigate its sounds, meanings, impact and structure.  Today, I explore the poem, "The Vault," by Andrés Cerpa (reprinted below in its entirety).  

This poem recently appeared in my Email In-Box (just when I needed it most, as is so often the case...) as Poem-of-the-Day for May 18, 2021 from Poets.org, the website of the Academy of American Poets, of which I am soon to be a proud member.  

I sincerely hope you enjoy this poem and my musing upon it.  End music is an excerpt from "Blue and Sentimental" played the late great jazz-blues pianist, Oscar Peterson.  Thank you for listening.  Best Regards, Derek!

The Vault

Andrés Cerpa

Little wave

in thought.

Blank architecture 

that holds me.

This is a little psalm 

in the moon-

struck snow. 

Thank you,

for I haven’t been 

patient as promised.

Thank you,

for the desperate

Hopper-esque light.

There is so little

to hold, I said

as I held it. Each 

bloom

of strength 

that entered

my hands.

Copyright © 2021 by Andrés Cerpa. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on May 18, 2021, by the Academy of American Poets.

About This Poem

“I wrote this poem on my typewriter when the apartment was empty. It's a small reminder to love the world more.”

—Andres Cerpa

Andrés Cerpa is the author of The Vault ( Alice James Books, 2021).