Verse-by-verse

The world has always been this beautiful.

Some days I wake and forget to open my eyes

to it. I walk around like a blind person, except

I have eyes.

See?

What is a verse? Is a line a verse?

An idea? A feeling? Because if I

truly respond to each line, I fear I’ll

let someone down.

Will I?

The truth is, I feel that the world is

full of itself. Not the way I am when

I write a good poem, but the way

it is completely world without gaps.

Since there are no gaps — is that why you think

you shouldn't have to look down at your

feet? Because, sometimes the terrain

is rocky, holey. Since I love you, I want you to

not trip and fall on your face —

a rocky intro with Gravity.

Right now, I’m asking myself, have I

ever had a conversation with Gravity?

It’s a grave question, but I am drawn

to the irresistible conclusion:

Law Three —

The Earth never talks at us. She’s

always in conversation, responding

in kind. I have a lot to learn from Earth

about how to act and react in Harmony.

An ancient Zen koan says,

Who is Mother Earth’s mother?

Actually, I made that up. But I say,

Earth was born of Gravity,

who brought all her elements together.

I love my Mom the way Earth loves Gravity,

which is why after a while, I stop responding

paragraph-by-paragraph. I read the whole

thing and respond to the essence, so I don’t

get anxious or tired or impatient, and also because

in general I write poems that are no longer than a page.