a smattering of things
Jo McCrory is a writer and artist living in northern California.
if this is the last poem i ever write, let it be
the final exhale of a life well-lived
abundant with love and laughter
long walks among the wildflowers
my toes in wet sand, damp earth
your hand in mind
your smile calling mine outside
to play as the sun goes to sleep
in its dusky peach bed
let it be a treatise on how sweet
the silence can be when you let it
breathe its natural breath
and how brightly
a heart can shine in the sunlight
of love
in the terrifying dark amidst
all of the sounds and smells
that send her pulse
racing
nostrils flaring out
a rumble and then light
air sweet and thick with familiar
scents like
fresh wet earth
sandalwood cedar
she bolts rage
and fear driving
as she attacksattacksattacks
then realization as
the world unfolds around her
f r e e d o m
beneath hooves drumming agai
nst red dirt
her body remembers being young
while the stench of the people
fades from
her
nostrils
the lion emerges
he comes with the thought
how easy to catch this one
all by herself
he barrels rolls off her wide shoulders
and she doesn’t stop moving
forward
because now it’s a game
i dare you try again and
of course he does
as she moves head first
into the shrub
this little gnat this little
annoyance
disappears into the thicket while
she wheels in a half turn
her captive rage holding the reins but
the lion knows when
he’s had enough
and stays down
unlike his primate counterparts
he knows when
he’s been de
feated
Amy Kay provided a format and a reel provided the inspiration. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, the reel will be in my stories for the next day or so!
loose threads 