Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Ode to My Stained-Glass Poppy Hanging

Oh, precious bits
of shiny glass and lead,
you brought quick tears
when I first saw you
bending sun in my direction:
prismed shades of red & green
reflecting life ahead--
as if you knew we'd be
together thirty years & more,
your octagon illuminating
poppies' promise: many highs,
though sometimes, too,
bereavement--I, a veteran
of desperate wars fought silently
on well-known soils of motherhood,
divorces, failures, and too many
friends and lovers lost.
The artist who brought you to life
unknowingly created the one jewel
I have treasured over any other,
traveling with me to start
a new life, adding radiance
to brighten shades of gray,
inviting me to look outside & in
with contemplation, asking always
that I see the light.

No comments: