V. H. King's Ink

the cards pointed me to fire,

earth, and water; asking me to

consider: how are these combined

in my spiritbody. i thought back

to the thick of summer and my

winter’s aches, the joyous strain

of living with the unutterable, seeing

the depth of feeling patterned

across my years and beyond.

>

planted in frozen soil, sprouted in the far

stretches of colorful desert; stretching

through rubber-burnt concrete and boiling

asphalt, painted in yellows and whites;

reinforced with rebar yet suspended in

tension bridging self and expectation,

grating nails into the bedrock

my palms can’t grip but where

my bones find purchase.

>

carved from clay: smoothed, shaped,

scorched—I have been given

enduring strength from the beginning:

I hold within me every reflection

rippling across this and infinite

lives and times: help me remember

>

each branch and leaf of this extensive

tree, expanding through galaxies, majestic

homes for every created being endowed

with dignity and mystery. let every crown

and cloak be shared, warming each heart,

renewing truth and dreams, reminding

all of us we are worthy.