knowing the strength and light of life
can arrive before poisonous gifts
ready to remind me I am still here
growing in dignity from strikes of shame
my relationship is with eternity
an account of choices made for love
while hot winds take the topsoil
unhealthy roots revealed.
it’s a bird who knows the afterlife
a bear who heeds the circle
these are memories that hold me
kinship caught and constructed
so I can remember to hold others
to the proximity or distance of survival
thriving with gratitude for all I receive.