Endings

A tree grew inside my head.
A tree grew in.
Its roots are veins,
its branches nerves,
thoughts its tangled foliage
Your glance sets it on fire,
and its fruits of shade
are blood oranges
and pomegranates of flame.

Da y breaks

in the body’s night.
There, within, inside my head,
the tree speaks.

Come closer–can you hear it?

–Octavio Paz
1914-1998

This poem, first read by me somewhere in the midst of 1998-2003, was the beginning of my connection to blood oranges and trees. My favorite part is “Day breaks,” which in Spanish is “amanece.” This may be my favorite word.

January 18, 2011 1

I will sew for you miles of lavender…

I will sew for you miles of lavender,
quietly stitching flower to flower.
Laying out peace in the meadow,
pedal by pedal and
shaking up the aroma
of trust.
I will quilt as long as the day is full of sun,
as the honey tree is full of bees,
as the night is full of mothers
singing their children to sleep.
I will sew for you miles of lavender flowers,
flower to flower to flower.

January 14, 2011 0

Praying A Timely Prayer

I prayed:

Lord, I want to be unselfish.
Please bless my sister
and my other sister
and her husband,
but please do not forget
about me.

I began to expound, but had a very quiet second thought.
Perhaps listing all the reasons I deserve to be remembered
would be quite selfish
and really just
dredge up self-pity.

I opened my eyes and
saw the common
prayer for the day
(the one laid out):

“Lord God, keep us from
mumbling on and on
in our prayers when
all we ought to say is,
‘Thank you, Lord.’
Amen.”

Lord, you have kept me.
Thank you.
Amen.

January 10, 2011 1

my own thoughts

oh this precious thought of mine
inside my head. it gently rhymes
with beauty, love, happiness.
cleverly it makes me rest,
close my eyes, and hold it in–
no wreaking breath to end
it’s fragile life here in the cold
little hut of time before I’m sold
back to work
anothers’ world

oh this precious thought of mine, I want to think of all the time

December 14, 2010 0