a medicinal love poem from the universe
stand up and read it out loud to a jazz track
open your window, stick your head out and shout it to your neighbors
claim it and proclaim it
namaste, pkh
KNOW THIS
know this, friend
my love is the embodiment of angels
a flood of devas
a hurricane of cherubim and seraphim
encircling you, embracing you, lifting you
know this, child of god
when you look at the cloudless dome of the midwestern sky,
my love is wider
when you see the grandeur of mountains and know that its
reverse
anchors it into the earth
my love is deeper
will the sun stop shining? will the wind stop blowing?
my love is a force of nature
infinite and irrepressible
know this, daughter
I will protect you with my own body
I will fight any demon
you can stink to the high heavens
be an asshole the size of iowa
kick scream punch me in the solar plexus and knock me off my
feet
and I am still here
arms spread palms open
I will hold you through any storm
I will stay the night, watching and praying
know this, sister
I’m not letting you off the hook so quickly
don’t you break the promise you made with the angels, god,
and me
to take human form and plant your feet here on scarred earth
to know suffering
to take it into your bones and your soul
so as to burn it up
and transform it
we are here to sit in the fire with each other
soulmate, know this
you have soul sisters
spirit mothers
boddhisattvas waiting in the wings for the invitation from
you
we hear you and see you even when you’re determined to hide
we are at your beck and call to walk at your side
catch you when you falter
cradle, cajole, shake you awake to say
be here now
BE here now
be HERE now
be here NOW
NOW
now is the moment you have chosen
to bless us with your wild iridescent brilliance
a brilliance honed by lifetimes
tumbled and tossed, smoothed and polished
your wounds make you glow
beloved, know this
my love is a sliver of the infinite eternal
a ray of the sun
a drop in the ocean of the great lakes
a single blade of prairie grass
one link in the story of the interconnected self
in which multitudes embrace you
clouds and beetles and dandelions
children with sticky summer skin
squirrels balanced on powerlines
lightning piercing night sky
all fully present in your story—our story—to bear loving
witness
know this, teacher
you matter more than rain
you matter more than earthworms
you matter more than paychecks
you matter more than poems
your significance cannot be measured in earthly terms
your reasons for being here cannot be counted out
only our souls convey your irreplaceability
why you have taken this pain, why now, why here
only our souls know
and we thank you
thank you for staying
thank you for bearing it
thank you for being in the story with me
thank you for this breath
this moment to be
pure electric
sparkling radiant
alive
