One Stubborn Layer at a Time
A poem
One Stubborn Layer at a Time
Peace finds me today, meets me
in the clear waters of poets' words,
in the distant call of mourning dove,
in the bursting buds of the old mossy oak. Even
the black fly is an almost-welcome visitor,
its relentless buzz challenging me to meet it again
and again. It flies up close to my open eyes
and asks—even this?
The young men painting the house next door
play their festive music and sing and sing,
they sing as if not a thing in the world hurts,
as if this singing moment is guaranteed.
Or maybe they sing because
there is so much hurt
in the world and none
of it is guaranteed.
I love how, for once, I feel no need to justify
this not-doing, afternoon spent cradled
in hammock's kind lap, pen and notebook close
for when words decide to come—
and when they do, I catch one
at a time, like a child catching snowflakes
on her tongue. I say thank you
for each one—
for what else but words point me back,
show me how to, one stubborn layer
at a time, undress myself—how to dive naked
into the clear waters of what is here.
Click below to listen to me read this poem…If you have read my book “Staying in Love,” I would so deeply appreciate it if you would leave a short review on Amazon (whether or not you bought it from Amazon). Reviews make a world of difference! Thanks so much for considering!
* If you are a part of a mindful, online community (or are local to Corvallis, Oregon) and would like me to be a guest poet, please contact me @ writeyourselffree@gmail.com (or simply reply back to this email). I so love sharing my poetry in beautiful spaces.
Click below to hear me read the above poem & for an invitation to “Write Yourself Free” with me…