Even If
even if I had held them
back, cut their early buds
they still would have
flowered and waned
dried up and looked
beautiful and browned
in the haze of autumn
I would have held them
just a bit longer to
feel the thrill of
their shrill greenness
felt their flexible limbs
and their ripe leaves
inhaled their fragrance
as soon the butterflies would
overrun the deluge of their
flowering, the bees ecstatic
I would have harvested their
herbal raiment
one more eternal time
spread their essence
into a summer meal
filled myself with their health
and longed to linger
alive before my own waning moment
before slipping back into the ocean
in the ache of a changing season
before evening falls
and the shadow of the day leaves
its whisper as the owl begins
its hunt and
the subtle night sounds stun
- © Deborah Kerner 2021
Deborah Kerner is a poet and painter living in Ojai, California.
No comments:
Post a Comment