The sun pierces every blade of growing grass
every leaf, still covered with soft, ivory down
every little bit, shiny bright with sweet life.
The chill evening breeze sweeps away the afternoon’s thin, warm
blanket, carries the ocean’s briny tang. Eucalyptus branches stir
rising, falling, rising again. Clusters of curving leaves dance a
gentle pas de deux over and over, gently yielding then pressing
back—steadfastly stealing the wind’s power and ravishing
touch, patiently shielding tender shoots and fragile soil.
Can it be just as my shopping bag says, Life is a beautiful ride?
Filled with motion, rippling, ever the same, ever-changing.
As the Greek philosopher wrote, Into the same rivers we step and
do not step, we are and are not. One beautiful ride and not a beautiful ride.
A ride I take hair blowing in the wind, legs pumping, or a ride I refuse
still and silent, trapped in the endless nightmare from which I cannot awake.
This sheltering garden, lush with lupine, the supple scent of crimson
freesia and alive with wild iridescent bees. The whine of
distant machines grinds on every blue horizon, devouring lost lands.
The sun pierces every blade of growing grass
every new leaf, still covered with soft, ivory down
every little bit, shiny bright with sweet life.
—
An author and artist, Deborah Kennedy’s work focuses on the challenging relationship between ourselves and the larger natural world. Her book, Nature Speaks: Art and Poetry for the Earth was recognized with the Silver Nautilus and the 2017 Eric Hoffer Poetry Book awards. Deborah’s poetry has been featured in The Midwest Quarterly, Caesura, great weather for MEDIA, and Leaping Clear, among others. Currently, she is a Creative Ambassador for the City of San Jose.
