Celebration of Survival
Sometimes they converge to justify every prior moment — Time, temperature. Above frozen
lake in morning see how it changes from solid to liquid, how sun spreads itself across slick, kisses your nose through wisps of smoke, cigarette dangling from your lips; how white caps
of last night rest like glass. I brought only a small knapsack but now see I overpacked.
See how my frozen hand warms in yours, how clothes peel off like like days, while Aion* erases years and asks what would you trade for youth? Nothing, we agree.
Aion – Greek God of cyclical time
Seems We Fall Into Buddhist Surrender
It’s not like it breaks, or splits in two, this heart of mine.
It peels. Contrasts how yours burns. We suffer despite ourselves. We find
our good time, bound to weights
of longing, little losses everytime you say
“later.” Maybe if measured, we’re more rich than broke. Hard to say. I make
a practice of appreciating things I can have
in lieu of your company — layers of warm clothes, crunchy cold earth underfoot, shadows and the sound of the sea in irrationally brisk
wind. I weather myself, peel after frost. You char, become
harder to burn —
ways we make ourselves happy even if altogether aside from love.
Empathy
Do not go into the mire as though you might offer coattails to kite escape to fresh space. It’s too hot for jackets and besides, we set
them aside long ago. We travel only with skin that fails to hold in heat from combustion hearts. There’s no denying attraction to warmth,
sound, dying to save another. The wail of a witch at the stake resonates the same as a banshee’s warning; both beguile, but only one might
be saved. Loud-eyed do-gooders rebranded Sympathy as pity, although she’s the best understanding we had before throwing ourselves
into the fire. All the green tea and dark leafy vegetables in the world won’t protect us from our own good intentions.
Kristin Kowalski Ferragut writes poetry, songs, short stories and essays. She lives in Maryland where she teaches, plays guitar, sings, rides her bike, and hosts the DiVerse Gaithersburg Poetry Reading and Open Mic. She is author of the full-length poetry collection Escape Velocity (Kelsay Books, 2021) and the children’s book Becoming the Enchantress: A Magical Transgender Tale (Loving Healing Press, 2021). Her poetry has appeared in Beltway Quarterly, Bourgeon, Anti-Heroin Chic, Fledgling Rag, and Little Patuxent Review among others. More, including her blog, Poetry & Other Mystical Space, can be found at https://www.