once
a white-haired man
told me:
imagine—
any
time of day,
starlight
showers down
over
us—
like
invisible
love….
because
you know,
(he continued)
even
though sunlight
outshines
the stars by day—
still
they twinkle on
in
disguise
and
behind….
oh what a precious non-secret
to carry around next to my heart!
•
some mornings
i swing despair on
like a cape,
or a robe….
sometimes it is the tablecloth i
sit down to….
sometimes
i resolve
to hang it back
in the closet
with the old clothes—
(the ones
i really need
to give away….)
and i take out hope,
shake the dust out of its folds,
and try it on—
so awkward, right now:
neither one fits!
•
so
i take them both off,
and they lie in small heaps
on the floor….
i stare at them,
mystified….
how do you live without one
or the other?
•
yesterday
in the blazing heat,
a (wise) young man said:
true
peace happens
when
you give up
both
hope
and
despair….
•
tonight
i walk out into the quiet
warm air—
the fireworks
have blown themselves out….
the revelers
have gone indoors….
the words of the old man
and the young
ribbon through my memory….
and up on the hillside,
out from under the trees—
i hold my skirt with both hands
like a basin
for catching stars….
_____________________
©2016
beth anne boardman
