Dusting

“Drifter” by Marilyn Nelson (2001)

This poem is a part of Carver: A Life in Poems (2001), Nelson’s series of poems about the life of George Washington Carver, the African-American botanist and educator. This poem is an excellent example of Nelson’s concerns and interests regarding American history. Like the speaker in “Dusting,” the persona of Carver wonders about natural processes like the rain falling. These questions cause Carver to wonder about his place in the world of things in a similar way to the speaker of “Dusting.”

“Psalm” by Marilyn Nelson (1997)

“Psalm” is the poem that appears before “Dusting” when they were collected in Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems (1997). In 2012, Garrison Keillor read it on The Writer’s Almanac for public radio. The poem works like a psalm, or sacred hymn, and like “Dusting,” offers gratitude. In this case, the speaker counts their blessings that they have not died while driving on crowded roads throughout the years. Driving is a daily action most take for granted. Psalm 23 is alluded to at the end. As in “Dusting,” awareness of God is connected to mundane activity.

“Matins (2:30 A.