desolate regions between kindness
arid soil of heartbreak
howling winds of lies
empty shadows of hunger
hand upon the fist
the fist in the face in the dark alleys of our souls\
the measuring of tides by the moon
high tide low tide spring tide neap tide
full moon king tide
swallowing the footsteps
of herons and humans
the birthday of maple saplings
the promise of change on bare branches
outstretched arms a crimson crown waiting
shadows receding from their bark
the earth remembers us all
her wide grave of memories
guide us across the desert of our dreams
rewrites the geography of hope
Poem and Photograph by windflower
windflower, her wife, border collie, and mini aussie live on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. She attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst for her undergraduate (English) and graduate (M.Ed. in English) degrees. She co-founded the Feminist Arts Program at the University of Massachusetts Women’s Center where she published and edited, Chomo Uri, a women’s multi-arts magazine and produced the first National Women’s Poetry Festival in 1976. Her poetry has been published in several journals and anthologies. windflower is also a photographer celebrating the poetry in nature.