Change comes on like this,
elusive, subtle, a magician’s big
act, like that,
or so I imagine, today, something from out
of nowhere
in the middle of all I know by heart,
suddenly when
I least expect it, a chance
to start again, a chance
to let go, abandon what was,
open up to what might be,
reach out far enough, long enough,
deep enough, connect
no matter what happens after that,
take a leap in a small place,
and no matter
how it might fall short
or work for a day, a month, any amount of time at all,
what I know now is the leap’s needed,
it is imperative, saying yes,
I forgot how difficult it is,
no matter how simple it looks on paper
when trying
to hold steady in a life.
I take the seeds out of the closet, what I’ve saved
to plant for when a shortage
arises, rare sunflower seeds, the pale yellow ones,
sweet peas, violets, red kale,
and in the back of the closet, a blouse the color of the sky,
I don’t know why I put it away,
stowed it for another day, kept the best hidden deep
a stash of stuff in case of change.
But this time it is different,
after the leap, wearing the blouse,
the luminous moment,
an easement in the trees around me
and the blue of the sky
and the subtle yellow from the petals
coming around again
one more time
Author Bio:
I am an organic gardener, a teacher, a Syracuse University Graduate Writing Program fellowship holder and my writing has appeared in THE ADIRONDACK REVIEW, LITERAL LATTE, POETRY EAST, most recently in THE STONE CANOE, NINEPATCH, THE HAMPDEN SYDENEY POETRY REVIEW, PINYON, CITRN, this month in EVENING STREET REVIEW.
elusive, subtle, a magician’s big
act, like that,
or so I imagine, today, something from out
of nowhere
in the middle of all I know by heart,
suddenly when
I least expect it, a chance
to start again, a chance
to let go, abandon what was,
open up to what might be,
reach out far enough, long enough,
deep enough, connect
no matter what happens after that,
take a leap in a small place,
and no matter
how it might fall short
or work for a day, a month, any amount of time at all,
what I know now is the leap’s needed,
it is imperative, saying yes,
I forgot how difficult it is,
no matter how simple it looks on paper
when trying
to hold steady in a life.
I take the seeds out of the closet, what I’ve saved
to plant for when a shortage
arises, rare sunflower seeds, the pale yellow ones,
sweet peas, violets, red kale,
and in the back of the closet, a blouse the color of the sky,
I don’t know why I put it away,
stowed it for another day, kept the best hidden deep
a stash of stuff in case of change.
But this time it is different,
after the leap, wearing the blouse,
the luminous moment,
an easement in the trees around me
and the blue of the sky
and the subtle yellow from the petals
coming around again
one more time
Author Bio:
I am an organic gardener, a teacher, a Syracuse University Graduate Writing Program fellowship holder and my writing has appeared in THE ADIRONDACK REVIEW, LITERAL LATTE, POETRY EAST, most recently in THE STONE CANOE, NINEPATCH, THE HAMPDEN SYDENEY POETRY REVIEW, PINYON, CITRN, this month in EVENING STREET REVIEW.
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