-Dedicated to Mum

I am from the music of the night.
A wide-eyed moon spilling milky light
Among towering trees & whispering lakes.
Stray grasshoppers play lullabies of loneliness,
Soon recognizing a distant echo of harmonies.
& for just a moment, everything’s at peace.
Everyone’s at peace.

I am from withered time in stained glass windows.
For it seemed catching the vibrant colors within my hand
Stretched minutes. Indigo, crimson, ivory, salmon…
They danced across the winding staircase.
A drifted glance is all it took. & the glass silhouettes
Disappeared.
I am from eternal struggles.
From Pasqualle’s late night poker games,
From Katherine Elizabeth’s ignorance in
Her genius.
& I am from other faults, which are now
buried away in familiar tombs.

I am from oregano leaves & porch recliners.
& that’s where my heart lies. Among the quivering
ceiling lamp, that’d keep us up all night.
Within my baby rocking chair that would lull
My mind to sleep. I’ll always smile at subtitles,
For they were always slow.
& I’ll remember
those porch recliners everywhere I go.

I am from the wise
I am from the naïve.

& I am from the stories that I
should’ve listened to.

I am from the questions that I’ve
Never really asked. & I’ll never know
The answers that I would’ve gotten back.

But aside from imperfections,
& regrets that lurk in shadows,
I come from love of every form, I’ve
Been cared for like no other.

My roots are deep in the soil now, my winds
Do not subside. & like the grasshoppers, I’ve come to realize
Though I can’t see lost loves, it doesn’t mean they’re not there.