Patricia Ryan

Patricia Ryan Poems

Patricia Ryan Biography

Patricia Ryan is a published and produced poet, playwright, and author. Her poetry has been published in several poetry magazines and she is the author of four poetry chapbooks. Her poetry has been set to music and performed by theater and opera companies. Her poetry is also included in the Poets House Collection, one of the most comprehensve poetry libraries in the United States. Her plays have been frequently performed in New York City.)

The Best Poem Of Patricia Ryan

Cancelled Stamps

CANCELLED STAMPS

Francesco collected stamps.
The day after the letter came that he was dead
I went to tear some strange ones off for him.

For me he had been dead before, when they pulled away from me.
Or should I say when I left him, looking at the floor
And asking for dungarees from Naples.

How I loved them both.
The father more because the son confirmed
Things the man himself had learned to hide.

We used to sit in a green Roman light
And I'd pretend the stamps were beautiful
And be surprised they were.

I gave him American ones
And we would talk about it, but no,
He didn't want to come.

I often thought, 'I can't explain them to anyone;
No one would believe
How beautiful they are.'

Step in, one, two
Up the street.
They both walked like boys.

I knew so little about
These things,
Fathers, sons, and death.

I've learned that stamps are kept;
It's love and death once done
That cannot be saved.

Patricia Ryan Comments