I just want to play
unburdened and unbothered
in this grassy meadow
of wild being.
Holding half formed words
up toward the light
and sensing those
that color and connect
the shifting shades of experience
beginning to form in the fleeting now.
Then pausing
and waiting
to see what else
may want to emerge
from this shadowy terrain
of trusting stillness
if only I stay
without demanding
listen
without expecting.
This is the work of a poet.
Tending to the unknown
with undimmable devotion
while weeding the invasive urge
to rush
takes patience, commitment
and an implacable faith
that only grit
and grind
can build.
It’s not easy work
and at times joyless.
But it’s the unfolding I crave
that carries me forward
like a ranunculus unbound
from a cloistered bud.
I write how I live
and live how I write.
Pulsing beats of ink
footsteps traveling
on and off
the page.
- Lauren Taub Cohen
