House In the Sky

In her poem Spring Edna St, Vincent Millay acknowledges the beauty of April— the spikes of the crocus, the smell of the earth. Ultimately the poet concludes it is not enough that yearly, down this hill, April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers. One only has to watch the news to agree that Edna was right. It is not enough. And it is increasingly hard to  remain optimistic when surrounded by so much cruelty and loss. The poem below was inspired by  the poems of Kyle Liang and Darius Phelps.

Brothers and sisters

do not worry.

I will burn this house

to the sky

for you and me,

and all our descendants. 

I will gather

the whips

and chains,

the iron collars

and shackles,

and fashion

a fence

for hatred,

a cage

for cruelty.

I will toss in the guns

and weapons

of war

that bloody

our land.

I will water the earth

with our tears

so all

that is green and good

will grow.

Then I will burn

amber incense,

pine and white sage,

cedar and clove

to fill our house

in the sky

with healing love.