Daniel J. Rortvedt
Poetry
Daniel J. Rortvedt is a writer, educator, founding editor of Vilas Avenue, and author of the poetry chapbook Layers (2024). His poetry appears in Lunch Ticket, word west revue, JAKE, Bulb Culture Collective, and other journals. You can learn more about his work at bit.ly/thisdjr.
For Sylvia
Twelve years after her death
my father and I play golf.
Sunday afternoon. 82 degrees.
We search for a stray golf ball in the long grass
and do not find it. Our presence
lifts one wild crane from the field.
“ This poem is a concise riff on a quiet memory. It's my way of sharing (and processing) the complex longevity of shared grief. The poem is dedicated to my grandmother Sylvia who passed away in 2003, and it's also dedicated to my dad. ”
Listen: