Coats

by Jane Kenyon (1947-1995)


I saw him leaving the hospital
with a woman's coat over his arm.
Clearly she would not need it.
The sunglasses he wore could not
conceal his wet face, his bafflement.

As if in mockery the day was fair,
and the air mild for December. All the same
he had zipped his own coat and tied
the hood under his chin, preparing
for irremediable cold.

*

Questions to think about: Why won't the woman need the coat? Why is the cold described as "irremediable"? When you write a poem, can you write about a big event without mentioning the event itself?