By: Scott LaChapelle

(Inspired by Kenneth Koch's Poem "Boiling Water")

F

By: Kenneth Koch

A serious moment for a student is during a Test

All of the games they played during class can’t help them

Although they regard the “F” as merely a coincidence

To be failing math, science, history, and literature

Occasionally there is a person who studies

And takes their Test with pride

Maybe a scholar, or maybe just someone who paid attention

Whose mind does not wander during class? 

To their Personal concerns, or more "unreal" things

A serious moment for the water is

A serious moment for the water is  

when it boils

And though one usually regards it

 merely as a convenience

To have the boiling water

 available for bath or table

Occasionally there is someone

around who understands

The importance of this moment

 for the water—maybe a saint,

Maybe a poet, maybe a crazy

 man, or just someone

 temporarily disturbed

With his mind "floating"in a

 sense, away from his deepest

Personal concerns to more

 "unreal" things...

A serious moment for the island

 is when its trees

Begin to give it shade, and

 another is when the ocean

 washes

Big heavy things against its side.

 One walks around and looks at

 the island

But not really at it, at what is on

 it, and one thinks,

It must be serious, even, to be this

 island, at all, here.

Since it is lying here exposed to

 the whole sea.  All its

Moments might be serious.  It is

 serious, in such windy weather,

 to be a sail

Or an open window, or a feather

 flying in the street...

Seriousness, how often I have

 thought of seriousness

And how little I have understood

 it, except this: serious is urgent

And it has to do with change.  You

 say to the water,

It's not necessary to boil now,

 and you turn it off.  It stops

Fidgeting.  And starts to cool.  You

 put your hand in it

And say, The water isn't serious

 any more.  It has the potential,

However—that urgency to give

 off bubbles, to

Change itself to steam.  And the

 wind,

When it becomes part of a

 hurricane, blowing up the

 beach

And the sand dunes can't keep it

 away.

Fainting is one sign of

 seriousness, crying is another.

Shuddering all over is another

 one.

A serious moment for the

 telephone is when it rings.

And a person answers, it is

 Angelica, or is it you.

A serious moment for the fly is

 when its wings

Are moving, and a serious

 moment for the duck

Is when it swims, when it first

 touches water, then spreads

Its smile upon the water...

A serious moment for the match

 is when it burst into flame...

Serious for me that I met you, and

 serious for you

That you met me, and that we do

 not know

If we will ever be close to anyone

 again.  Serious the recognition

 of the probability

That we will, although time

 stretches terribly in

 between...