Monday, August 17, 2009

Impossible to Describe and Best Shot

The theme around the house seems to be Illness. Cowgirl is still recovering from her sinus infection (although we do not see any signs of it slowing her down, merely the sounds of its presence) and now the husband has fallen prey to some mystery virus that was deemed a cold by the doctor (after a 2 1/2 hour wait in the after-hours clinic) but which has had my man on his back for 3 days now. (Well, husbands do Sick better than anyone in my opinion.)


So stick a white cap on me and call me Florence Nightingale. I've made soups, fetched drinks, checked thermometers, administered medicines and a cooling touch to fevered brows. Which is to say, I've had a lot of time to ponder my life and how I got here. Prominent in my mind is the coming 3 year anniversary of our becoming a family. It is hard for me to reconcile my life now with my life Before but I cannot imagine any other life than the one I'm living. And I am casting aside concerns about showing all of my Cowgirl to readers unknown because, well, you all just have to gaze upon this delightfulness of a person who rocks my world and my heart every day.



And lest you think I haven't had time to channel my inner Sylvia Path, another poem in honor of this week. What moments do you find impossible to describe? Give it a try ... you will be amazed at the effect upon your being by just reliving the moment through pen and paper.


Impossible to Describe (our family birthday)

One moment -

I was

Single

Alone

Floating untethered to this world.


Then -

A soup bowl of nerves

A stew pot of doubt

Waiting to receive

Into untested arms

You.


Your arrival was announced

Matter-of-factly –

“Here she is!”

The transfer made swiftly

With barely a squawk

From your surprised lips.


Tiny starfish hands

Gripped my shoulders and chest

As you velcroed yourself

Securely in place

Upon my being.

Dark eyes resisted my gaze.

The event too overwhelming

For anyone to easily take in.


To try and coax a smile from you

Would have been a denial

Of the vastness and

The solemnity

Of what was being birthed.


Those first few days

We all were trying to find

Land legs after being

At sea for lifetimes

Both long and short.


Impossible to describe

The moment when

On unsteady legs

You shuffled towards me

Our eyes held in an out-of-time trance.

Then, your soft puppy body -

Flesh of my heart -

Falling easily into mine

With a flash of a smile

As breathtaking as

The shadow of an eagle

Gliding across my landscape.


A bubble of laughter

Spilled from your lips -

The sound of the Universe

Coming into existence

And setting into orbit

The turning of my heart.

3 comments:

  1. What a lovely poem to go with a lovely image. I hope everyone in your home is on the mend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. this poem is such an inspiration!
    thanks for sharing it with me today...
    xoxo
    jul

    ReplyDelete
  3. dearest woman...

    this is utterly exquisite...

    bless you darlingheart...

    true beauty

    xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete