Merits
by Margery Cunningham
What makes a poem good?
I’ve asked around—
a solid, old professor
a languid drape across his lectern,
shifted a bit, sloe-eyed,
sputtered aphorisms and conceits.
Ha! It seems to me he does not know
What makes a poem good?
Rhyme or reason inherent?
Good behavior?
And who’s to say
that one good poem is more
virtuous than another?
Catch a poem at its worst’s
like nabbing a good sinner
doing what he does best—
plain sinning
Can poems sin
or do they simply err
– as weaklings all-
and if they sin
who then will shrive them
in their guilt?
Good poems seem to last
They’re passed along
and read; they’re praised and,
into them are pressed
sweet blossoms
staining pages as if
a shadow settled on their lines.
Ah then, good poems are rewarded
and heap up merits word by word
and leave emotions to be felt by those
whose curiosity leaps about
amid the nodding blossoms
by Margery Cunningham
December, 2009
About the poet:
Margery Ann Cunningham
12/22/1927 – 12/15/2025
Margery (Marge) Ann Cunningham passed just one week shy of her 98th birthday. Marge was the spiritual and social nucleus of the Sunset District family home that she and her late husband, Robert (Bob) Louis Cunningham, inhabited for more than 70 years.
Marge was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in French, with minors in Latin and Philosophy, from what is now Xavier University. She and Bob moved to Quebec, while he completed his PhD in Philosophy. They relocated to San Francisco in 1953 to raise their children, where Bob eventually led the Philosophy Department at University of San Francisco.
Marge received her Master’s degree in Theology from USF in December 1970, and subsequently taught Religion for several years at Mercy High School, Burlingame. In May 1980, Marge received her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from USF before earning an MFCC license and embarking on a 25-year career as a counselor and therapist.
Marge’s passion for music, cooking, reading, lively conversation and exploration of the outdoors was shared with Bob and their children. Family camping and hiking trips included VW bus trips across the US and into Canada. She and Bob enjoyed numerous excursions together throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Marge had a beautiful singing voice, evident whether accompanying herself or her children on the piano or blending with others in the alto section of the San Francisco Choral Society.