walking right past
that man she would later marry—
fruit still green on the vine
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged love, poem, poetry, timing on March 31, 2019| Leave a Comment »
walking right past
that man she would later marry—
fruit still green on the vine
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged apology, death, poem, poetry, timing on February 8, 2019| 2 Comments »
late apology—
a week after it died of drought,
offering the plant water
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged beauty, community, poem, poetry, rainbow, timing on March 25, 2017| 1 Comment »
Come quick, said the math teacher,
grabbing me and my daughter by the hand
and rushing us past the school’s edifice
where he pointed east at rainbow
made of ice crystals hung in the air—
an ice rainbow! he exclaimed—
and we applauded with our eyes
until all three of us ran back into the shadows
to pull others to street corner,
sharing in the thrill that we did not
arrive too early, too late,
our breath coming out in misty curls,
silent, visible prayers.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged poem, poetry, timing, trust, uncertainty on October 4, 2016| 9 Comments »
after Ocean Vuong, “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong”
You do not need to know what comes next.
There is always another storm, and you
cannot hang the tent out to dry before
it has gotten wet. You cannot shovel snow
that has yet to fall.
Put down the shovel. Breathe
into the dark spaces of your back,
feel how they open like cave doors
to let in the light.
Let your face soften. Let the creases
fall out of your brow. The mind,
no matter how clear, will never become
a crystal ball.
The wisest part of your body
knows to run when it hears
the first crashes of rock fall.
It does not pause then to consider
metamorphic or igneous,
nor does it hesitate to wonder
what might have pushed them down.
It is no small thing to trust yourself.
It’s okay to cry. It is right
that love should shake your body,
that you should find yourself trembling
in the rubble and dust
after all your certainties come down.
Your breath has not left you.
Here is the morning rain. It opens
the scent of the leaves, of the air.
All around you the world is changing.
What are you waiting for?
Here is the cup of mint tea
growing stronger in itself.
Here on this cliff of uncertainty
there is a stillness in you
so spirited, so alive
the wisest part of your body
is dancing.