REMEMBERING
I was not there when your mother bore you.
Surely you came into this world, hungering and wet.
We all do that.
Surely you came like the rest of us
From that dark sea of souls,
That sighing that brings us forth
And calls us back—we all share that.
If this is true, and it is—even for you—
Why are you a broken glass smashed against
The floor? Why not the seas’ grass on
The ocean floor? Why not a smooth stone, a willow
In the wind? Why do you break, not bend, and
Even broken, why not mend? You do know how.
Walk with me to the edge of the city.
Take off your shoes and feel the earth.
It is softer than a woman.
It is safer than your father.
It is water. It is air.
It is where you are returning
With this yearning you can’t name.
Cast off your shame. It is an old coat.
Remember who you are. You are a star,
A mountain, that fountain in the sun.
Your heart is the velvet cave.
Where birds sing.
Are you remembering?