are for mortals.
arrests a restless mind
and
feathered hopes wing away
taking us with them.
For
Flesh and blood
do the miracles of April
unfold.
From
paper and pen
does the heart's beat
rise.
And it's all for
the people I care about
to whom I wish
April's Promises.
This post is dedicated to
everyone
overcoming cancer.
(I am fine, my dear friends. This is just a poem dedicated to others)
To R. F.
Tasting
a sudden landing
of oregano on the tongue
brings a dead uncle back
to a family picnic. Bulbous
boysenberries
between the teeth squirt a sweet punch
of childhood Sundays, and playful
plosives release an airflow of thought
on the tongue blade. The mouth
Is a feast.
But the words
I have breast cancer
are hard to swallow. Fricatives
strike like primal impulses
on a battlefield
of teeth on flesh. Vowels
piston five syllables, mashing
a bland unbelief that you spit out
when you say them. Fear
puddles in the soft-mouthed life
of morning when you wake
and I say them
with you,
Tasting.
anita rivera©
winter 2014