Time

Today we were asked to take a look at Alicia Ostriker’s poem, “The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog.”  and then try to write our own poem about how a pair or trio of very different things would perceive of a blessing or, alternatively, how these very different things would think of something else (luck, grief, happiness, etc).

This gave me the chance to work on a theme that’s been buzzing around in my head for some time now, so I feel very grateful for this prompt.

As the earth tilted once again, dawnlight trickled into sight,
It gently tickled night from the mountain creases where it slept,
Shedding light and stirring life in the valley’s depths.

The morning breeze, a keeper of secrets, and a terrible tease,
Ruffled the grass and scruffled with the tops of trees,
Then begged the question – “will you tell me please,

What is time?“

The Mayfly, in all its haste to speak quickly replied,
“It is the space I have in which to swim; and breathe; and fly.
And dance the dance of life and love; before the one sun dies!”

Below the dayfly the salmon swam, and she so calmly said,
“It’s the stint in which they call me parr and fry and smolt and egg,
When I swim in seas, then return to lay, then die upon this birthing riverbed.”

The river rolled its languid tongue, sighed and spoke plainly.
“I am of nonillion trillion raindrops, that no one ever sees,
I form the snow, the ice, the seas – I know no time; I am infinity.”