What I Brought

I stood on the border of my wilderness.
It beckons in silent commandment,
My feet feeling for the road
That is dusty and half hidden
Under brambles and
Desire.

I am draped in cloth of gold
That pales under a sun of glory
Rings of silver and lapis
Grace my graceless fingers
And offer only a hollow echo
To the spark of stars and moonlight
That litter the night sky.

Laden with my gathered gifts

I gather in the best of me
My harvest
Sown
To leave at the foot of Sinai
At the altars of God.
I traverse the desert
In forty nine steps
Spinning my measure of grain into
A promise

One day. And the next
And again
Ang yet again.
Days pass
I am gathered in
To leave at the altar
My best
For God.

I stand at the foot of that mountain
And I tremble
In wearied joy
And exultant fear.
I reach for my offering basket,
To lay it full upon that altar.
And see behind me
In that trackless
Silence
My fruit
My first and finest gifts
Tumbled and trampled
Stretching back forty nine steps and more--

And I weep.

I lay my tears on that altar
With  my sorrow
And my yearning
My hopeless desire
My brokenness
And pain
For I have nothing left to offer
(That is mine to give)

And I turn to collect bright feathers.
They drift down around me,
A shower of white and gold, and silver and lapis
A glinting
Glistening opal fire
Of glory
And I gather them up
Gather them in
Fashioning them into wings
Of scattered light

And I fly.

For Nate, on Mother's Day

He brought me a crown of twisted green stems and sudden bursts of gold.
It smelled so sweet, like summer, like wine.
Like his smile

He was sticky-fingered and glorious
King in his realm
Of wooden trains
And pumpkin ghosts
That were banished by a sorceress
Who vanquished his fears
With a kiss of stardust.

He sipped at the seasons
Tasting the air
The clouds
Feet tripping so lightly along the path
The hidden path less taken
The dusty road sheltered by leaves
The color of heartbreak gold.
He gathered wildflowers and weeds
To grace the table and litter the doorway
That he passed through
Unnoticed
To some far away place
Only a heartbeat away.

He saw visions of giants
And spies
And he tumbled through the wilderness
Accompanied by drum beat and flute song
And he found the gilded treasure
That lay hidden in shadow
Transformed by magic;
Dull and lifeless dross
Transformed back to treasure
By his pure heart.

He found treasure and brought it home,
A crown of twisted green,
Smelling of summer
And laughing, he placed it on my head
Gentle.
Solemn.
A wondrous gift,
Breaking the spell of my solitude.