Bury the Lede
I know the world can be a thief of joy...
Bury the Lede
God shuffles in the dark.
She deals our cards
by chance, by fire:
here a daughter, there a son.
Summer bears another one.
Distant city sirens mingle
with songs of cardinal and Carolina wren.
A labrador barks
from one impossible bird to another.
A bee blossom-bumbles
from azalea to dogwood, honeysuckle, home.
And this beer:
so delicious, so brown, so cold.
My pocket buzzes with headline
after vicious headline:
ICE Agents Flood US Streets
School Bombed by American Missile
A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight
Epsteins All the Way Down
It is April.
We drive to where blue fireflies ghost
the Cahaba River at dusk.
Unfazed by the violence of headlights,
a doe clacks off the asphalt in her own time.
Deep in the woods, darkness becomes a warm bath,
blue diamond flecks glim in knee-high constellations.
I know the world can be a thief of joy.
I wish quiet comforts for you:
persistent sparkles in your night,
wooded walks to be savored,
a warm cup in your hand
and someone who loves you nearby.Matt writes…
It seems like almost every single day there is some new horror, trauma, heartbreak buzzing across the screen of my phone. It's on the radio. It's on the television. It's on our computers. I'm not one to bury my head in the sand. I believe in standing up and speaking up, but Lord, I need some quiet, too. I need the sound of the river, the cry of a hawk, the sparkle of a lightning bug in the early evening, and even more than all of those, I need community. I need the comfort of other human beings who are experiencing the now of this world but still take time to notice the way a spider's legs work its web just so. I hope in all of this turmoil, you are able to find some of those moments as well. I hope you have someone who can take your hand in theirs when you most need it. I hope your flowers blossom and bloom and your herbs are plentiful and fragrant. I hope you take the time to have a cup of tea and to write for us what you think of it all.
Just wonderful! And it made me realise we all must have a multitude of soulmates who each feel in our unique ways that same beauty. Is it so surprising that we all may share in this…unity? love? compassion? …no words but my heart knows.
Amigo: Ain’t seen no ghost blinkers round my place. You sure you that wadn’t the Piggly Wiggly’s neon sign reflecting off the Cahaba’s inky depths? Carolina wrens we got!