a few weeks ago john and i had the opportunity of participating in Maya Stein's last poetry workshop on her Tour de Word.  it was a powerful night and lit something in both of us to get back to our writing, to nurture these voices within.  i was moved by everyone's efforts that night and was grateful to have such an intimate night with friends.  listening to john read the poems he created from maya's prompts reminded me of one of the first things that attracted me to him: he has a way with the written word that pulls me in each time.

i wrote several pieces that night and after the proddings of one friend have decided to share one here, be kind:

virtual accolades

speaking of another

i see a glint of knowing...and mischief in her eyes

compliment received with

i can't believe you could capture if for me to see,  it's undeniable

women of passion encircle one another

buoys from dangerous pools of thought

after a river of buttons clattering i click

send

post

publish

while messages transmit in seconds

our lives are seperate and removed

by mountains

valleys

great bodies of water

our hearts remain entwined

shared laughter reduced to LOL

this web may have its holes and faults

but something great has been woven here

i love my life.

i love my messy house with it's worn floors and creaky doors.

i love my comfy red couch with stories, pennies, and crackers tucked into its folds.

i love my raggle~taggle~muffin crew of chairs surrounding my covered glass table.

i love the mountains of books,

                                    the mountains of dishes, 

                                                                  the mountains of laundry.

i love the crayons, broken and tucked into every corner,

the papers covered by impish markings,

                                                the beginnings of stories written by shaky hands,

                                                                                                               and the tender designs of newly born worlds.

i love the dirty sinks and the mirror covered in toothpaste.

i love the perpetual stain that runs the length of my entire house, at child's hand level, showing exactly where they've tarried.

i love my fridge filled with yogurt and cheese sticks.

i love my white trash backyard covered in toys and plants, the grave to countless spoons and cups.

i love the prickly, overgrown garden state:

the fresh tilled earth,

                       the heaping compost pile,                                                                        

                                                   the vines growing into the spaces between.

i love our big, red sheds housing our memories.

i love our trampoline and the hours logged there,

                                                         the muscles in my children's legs,

                                                                                                the laughter shared.

i love the trees growing into the sky:

the haven they provide my children in their sturdy branches,

                                                                 the leaves that shade innocent play,

                                                                                                          the birds that sing us lullabies.

i love the rye grass filled with dandelions and morning glory,

                                                            the wishes angels have released,

                                                                                                   the secrets these blades keep.

i love the rope swing that allows my babes to soar.

i love my hammock, the shared cuddles, the airplanes watched from below.

i love the joy that this life contains.

may the breeze kiss me gently through veiled windows; waking me from slumber, prodding me to awake, listen & write

may, i dance in golden grass, arms floating above

may my words be released to you and

may you discern and receive my meaning

may the sun rise over cool mountains, children easily donning jackets over shivering limbs

may the afternoon sun make us strip away the layers of clothing, of emotions, of the walls we create to protect us through the winter

may, i embrace

may i laugh

may i dream

may, i rest

may, i soak up the moments, drawing them into my heart as bread soaks up oil, filling me to saturation;

          my smile broadens as i can barely contain all the joy that has seeped into and permeated my being

may, i forever seek to be whole

may, you take me to the point of remembrance

          a sacrament of body and spirit

                     my anniversary of breath & vitality

may, i flow

i carry your heart with me
(i carry it in my heart)

i am never without it
(anywhere i go you go,my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)

i want no world
(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing
is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart
(i carry it in my heart)
~ee cummings

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