Inhale
1.
The earth holds the dead,
questions them and relays the answers
in tufts of grass, iris blooms that shiver,
mounds of ice cascading, even the footsteps
upon.
2.
Storms are the questions unanswered,
the riot of death.
Exhale
1.
The intolerable grasp of dirt subsides,
the worms take their first taste,
we deliver unto ourselves.
2.
Welcome the sun, the questions
that ignite laughter, a jewel
that cannot be touched, held captive and sold,
welcome the stars, the questions
that ignite the map,
a relentless forgiveness,
a birth.
I love the beat with "inhale" and "exhale". Nice rhythm.
ReplyDeletePamela
"The questions that ignite the map" - yes, and draw a circle all round. Dark and light, "held captive", but with a gentle touch in company with the oft multifaceted images you invoke.
ReplyDelete"A relentless forgiveness, a birth."! Pardon, or I might be quoting your whole poem back to you. Light-dark, hard-soft, almost like a deeper kind of music in thought, subtle but present here.