Fossilized

you don’t want to know
the contents
of my head
so full of lists
incessant
and
acrobatic

but I’m not the only one
this morning
the air is filled
with traffic
buzzing swiftly
worker bees
beginning
the day
fueled by fossils
sourced
earth-deep
from a time
when the pace
was slower

maybe back then
I would still be running
hoping not to be eaten
by a tyrannosaurus rex

at least the rush
would be real
life and death
not tech support for a cell phone
or adding items
to a virtual shopping cart
on amazon.com

all the things we need
keeping us
moving
in the morning
the hills
are quiet
shrouded
by a cape of clouds
birds sing
and wrestle with the insects

we power on
velocity
running
on ancient bones

courtesy of Orin Zebest

Quiet Awe

the last seven days
a writing hiatus
as life
shuffled me
without commentary
the orchid bloomed
the gold wedding bands were ordered
green peppers harvested
the last of the mangos
sliced
beds in our house
got switched to new rooms
Jeb’s artwork from preschool
shelved in the loft
a baby was born-
my sweet niece-
fresh life!

and I held the sun
on my skin
with the others
gathered
behind a mother
looking to the light
she buried the loss
of her three year old boy
deep
into
the earth

celebrating life
in death
poetry drumming dancing
the man with the guitar
the father of my son
who’s shown me
Love
and Hate
Forgiveness
he offers his voice
to a family’s suffering
“put more love in your heart”
and I was singing with him

ordinary
profound
planting
harvest
for now
I bow
as life leaves me
without words

Jessica Dofflemyer