Dear Edna St. Vincent Millay
I fear that my harsh judgment may
Have clouded my eyes to your witty and wise
Lyrically lovely word-play
But what is a young girl to do
When she wants to grow up to be you
Lots of poetry selling
Men adoring Fans yelling
Give us more–But I’m just me–Boo hoo
The birds sing to me
From a yard across the way
Since ours has no tree
and the children there play
share their laughter and glee
Because ours moved away
yes joy comes by degree
wherever it may
for whoever will see
*from One With Willows, copyright 2019 by Joan Myles*
When the rains come at last,
there is no mistaking what will happen.
One person uncovers the cistern
he dug years ago against thirst.
Another brings out buckets
to place beneath the leaky roof.
Oh, let me be the one
who opens windows and unlocks the door,
who presses her face against the screen,
inhaling the mist like life itself.
Let me gather the children
to trace raindrop outlines
upon the window glass,
to clap and dance with joy
for gardens yet to be
and for promises kept.
don’t blame your mama
don’t blame your dad
for every trauma you never had
don’t blame the weather for your shoes
birds of a feather
Their feathers choose
*Please join me in chanting, living, breathing these words every day…it takes all of us to change the world*
Come On Justice
By Joan Myles
somethin’s stirring in the wind and weather
somethin’s roaring in the stormy tide
somethin’s rising up for good and better
come on Justice come
somethin’s beating in the hearts of young folks
somethin’s rushing down the halls of time
somethin’s urging us before all hope’s broke
come on Justice come
smash the idols that compel us
fear and prejudice and greed
clear the pathways that repel us
come on Justice come
somethin’s truer than the tears that blind us
somethin’s shining on the hill ahead
somethin’s marching in the streets behind us
come on
come on Justice
come on Justice come
Primitives
after spending
three days shivering
inside a tent counting
the distance between sword-flash and
echoing hoof-beats
after wondering whether a roof
can ever again be water-proof
suddenly robins.
winged emissaries
promises of reconciliation
and the sun appeared
glorious
as a god
Voices gather around my door
hear a whisper
there a roar
pausing from a quick reply
I ask myself why
words I offer seem unclear
or insufficient
and I fear
I’ll clutter Wisdoms silent flow
with all I do not know
so again I turn inside
to seek the peace which can’t abide
long amid such human noise
my spirit gratified
Forgetfulness
by Billy Collins – 1941-
The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read,
never even heard of,
as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a little fishing village where there are no phones.
Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye
and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,
something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.
Whatever it is you are struggling to remember
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,
not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.
It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.
No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.
Maybe I was high
but the sweetness of birds sounded truer than words
maybe I was high
but the air sang like breath
more lethal than Love
more deadly than death
maybe I was high
but the echo i heard was more than a bird
Every day is Earth Day.Are you breathing the Earth’s gift of air?
Are you walking/riding/biking/running along the surface of the Earth?
Are you hearing the song of birds?
Are you feeling the wind? Inhaling the perfume of flowers it captures?
Are you drinking water? Or wine? Or orange juice? All gifts of the Earth!
Yes, today is Earth Day and we celebrate…
Why not make this moment an Earth Moment? And this one! And this one!
Every morning when we awake, let our first thoughts be gratitude for all the Earth provides!
And let us act mindfully to keep her safe. To keep her going!
Even as she keeps us going!
And let us say: Amen.
Jewniquely Myself 