While Reading Mary Oliver

Far from the forest  
sat a bench 
where I ate my lunch; 
the January sun was delicious;  
a dead woman spoke to me 
from pages gilded with foxes  
and ebullient leaves; 
her body lies below the ground 
upon which she danced 
with Mozart, swans and larks; 
now her brittle fingers 
feed flamboyant trees 
and necessary sparrows;  
“Sing,” she said to me 
repeatedly,  

repeatedly, 
repeatedly                      

In Nature, I Missed You

In nature, I missed you 

by the waterfall, 

under the sunset, 

on the mountain peak 

I could not turn to you  

and speak 

you were not there 

alone and wistful  

as the mist  

gave birth to rainbows 

and birds told 

of carefree joys  

I clearly could not  

comprehend  

earthbound,  

I plodded aimlessly 

blinded to  

the other One  

who whispered out 

the name I longed to hear - 

'Beloved'  

and 'treasure of Mine' 

starlight and moon glow 

shone in my darkened state 

I reached out 

with emptiness  

to grasp  

Your fingerprints  

within Your waiting hand           

What Do You Think of That?

In the airport was a piece of luggage, unattended 

In the luggage, an inspector apprehended  

A package that contained a book 

He peered inside and took a look 

In the book there was a story on a page 

In the story was a mountain 

In the mountain was a cave 

In the cave there was an elephant 

And he was very brave 

He had escaped from the zoo  

Where the people were quite crazed 

On the elephant was a saddle 

In the pocket on the side  

Was a pair of binoculars 

 Guess what you could see inside? 

A country with a province 

And a city with a street 

On the street there was a building  

Reaching over twenty feet 

And in that building, there were people  

Milling all around  

Wondering what’s inside that luggage  

Left unattended on the ground 

Here comes an inspector  

With a magnifying glass 

In anticipation,  

The people oohed and gasped  

Some thought any minute  

The luggage might explode 

And with possibilities  

It could overflow  

Each one had ideas  

Swirling beneath their hats 

An elephant, a city 

What do you think of that?   

Bioluminescence

Her strong shoulders  

reveal a memory, 

indelibly inscribed; 

her eyes, 

luminescent,  

in the telling,  

shine; 

her hair flows silvery, 

like shimmering waves 

on crystal seas; 

vivacity glides 

through her sinewy veins 

assured  

in her own skin   

In reflective times, 

her legs curl beneath her 

as she wistfully writes  

of jellies and whales 

surrounding her, 

kissing her emerald fin