Shift Change

Skirt Pockets

Drop pennies in the pockets of your skirt,

so when you forget and feel lost,

you may reach in and rub cool copper

with ridges and hollows to awaken each axon.

Drop pennies in the pockets of your skirt,

so when you forget and feel empty,

you may be comforted by the weight

that grounds you in knowledge there will always be more.

Drop pennies in the pockets of your skirt,

so when you forget and feel heavy,

you may unburden yourself bit by bit,

thanking each piece you save for another day.

Drop pennies in the pockets of your skirt,

so when you forget and feel dim,

you may lift one to the light and renew

each spark hiding in your smoldering ashes.

Drop pennies in the pockets of your skirt,

so when you forget and feel tired,

you may rock yourself ever so gently

and remember how lovely it is to dance.

Summit

But for now, boulders

are cocoa crumbs fallen from

slabs of gratitude.

Livestock

Cows do not know the word commodity.

Their ears scan the overhead buzzing with necks braced, cruel subtlety between captivity and security, forced to bathe in the light of a moon they’ll never see.

Weeds bully grass with constant sprouting, but it keeps on, solid roots withstanding the scrappy up-and-comers. May the cows come to trust their tongues as they carry on, with every bite a history unfurling.

May they teach their calves what it is to savor the sweet, dewy grass, to stretch their necks in precious minutes they roam free, to become new again in the fullness of the moon. May they remain bright, even as clouds settle over the night.

Heart of the City

Platelets pulse through the streets, gathering at intersections, filling potholes, building bridges. Each aggregating congregation brings their best for one another, getting right down to work. Side by side, they sing quiet hymns heard only by those who know to listen.

♡

Thank you for joining me. I am so glad you’re here!