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Breathe Into, Inspire
- 1. Breathe Into, Inspire By: Stephanie L. Morehead
- 2. © Stephanie L. Morehead 2014 All poetry and the cover art is copywritten. Feel free to share the book with others if you are so compelled. If you are interested in using any of the work, contact me for permissions at smorehead@gmail.com.
- 3. Jonathan Your name means, “Gift from God.” I struggle to find words Proportionate To what I feel for you, My son. I don’t think you will ever Fully know The extent to which You are adored. But know this-‐ I will protect you with My fiercest fist, The pointiest of tongue and flame. I will sacrifice any comfort To meet your needs… Showers, sleep. I will come running when You cry my name, Gather you in my arms And kiss away any tear. I realize now that All these lessons kept In my tool chest Have been to parent you, My dear. My hope for you is that You find your passion And hold on tight, Surround yourself with music And kindness… And try not to become a poet Like your Mommy. Here with you now, I watch your violet,
- 4. Wonder-‐filled eyes Take in the miracles Of this world As you begin the procession Of firsts. I know you’re in a hurry. But I will carry you for a time In my arms, On my back, On my shoulders, Here on and in my chest. And, yes, it is true What they say: You will never know how much You can love and fear Until you are a parent. I think I understand (kind of) The love God so had for The world To give us His son. You, my love, are most attracted to Light Because that is Exactly Where you come from… You are My gift from God, Jonathan.
- 5. Baby's breath A chorus of rain drops Speeding cars Wind blown branches Are our lullaby tonight I see your face in the Night light Little cherub cheeks Long dark lashes Like bird's feathers We cuddle under a blanket Your tiny toes on my back Your soft breaths Like tiny white flower buds In my hair Everything Everything Was worth it To get me to now To get me to you
- 6. Backyard I swing from a vine With wisteria Petals A contrast Against the green Sweet is the scent Smooth is the stone Etched with words From nature's tongue How deep do Your roots Go?
- 7. Courtship I think of the days When we first met Two lone wolves Drinking red wine and Sharing dreams Strolling along Cherry blossoms In Vailsburg Fire signs Ablaze with Ambition Wiser now Intention Beats its drum In our soul and Loins Our fusion is Flesh of flesh His heartbeat Is our heartbeat Atonement
- 8. Family-‐grown I don't like this dimension To suffer with their dementia To be so now... I'd take a bullet for a Madwoman But don't cross My little boy It's almost dusk Smells like rain and grass This is where the Lotus blooms Across the green veins Of my leafy heart. Will you hold out Your branches to Embrace me? Hold her tight in Your bud. Little clover Lucky charm The tattoo on My soul has a Button nose And diaper butt I'm no hostage in My woman's mind But a gardener Of poet's verse And mother's sense Your father planted The seedling of you In the deepest field Of my landscape And placed his heart On my ring finger Family is grown like Sweet berries
- 9. Harvest of jam In my blood For all of time
- 10. Wedded The voice awakes Optimistically cautious Love with your eyes open He said The smile of my first-‐born son It baptizes me I stare a bee down She buzzes around I am here on the ground Sowing seeds Tending to the Wild garden within A promise you gave Is our vow to speak Trees and vines I poured you the wine The earth can take Herself Back Barefoot in the puddles Outside seems unreal Come alive Magenta peony Your promise is to Bloom
- 11. Second Story Tender sunshine And words Long alluded me Here now like This breeze Red maple leaves and Freckled shoulders Tell me she is near Cursive writing Lives In my journal And pear shape I live among The treetops My Second story
- 12. Pass the spark I see my son Play with his truck On the floor And I know, I'm where I need to be. I am your mommy Forever will be. Clap your hands To the song Jazz and rock Rolling The paisley Dances on the rug Your toddler eyes See everything What wonder What joy Jonathan Every time I say your name It's a prayer Flashing Blue eyes As you start From scratch And I, on another one Of nine lives. Keep an ember Burning to Remember What it is to Pass the spark.
- 13. Lunacy My senses come undone by the brilliance of the moon. Freedom in lunar light Nude in shadows and beams Serene as a dream. These nighttime nuances touch the nucleus of me. Oh evening goddess, Let me bathe in the rise and fall of your tides, Swim to the shores on your side of the cosmos, Let love permeate layers of skin, fluid, bone, You are home. I am whole with you in my soul. They call me moonstruck, The daughter of Don Quixote. Saying it’s vagrancy to bask in nocturnal complacency. If it’s lunacy then straightjacket me. It won’t be the first time. Luna liberates me from my mind’s asylum.
- 14. Provincetown Here is all wild grass, Peonies, Art and sand. The sweet wedding of Nature and history Gay culture Is minister of The ceremony But, This place is Not a rainbow I saw you cast Dirty looks at me When we walked down The street holding hands… Yea, they want My man And, You want me out I noticed. It’s fine ‘cause I’ll take Jersey. God, I’ll take New York. There are more colors there. For all your beauty, I still saw two tampons On the beach. And, Maybe they were mine, Perhaps I was leaving you A gift.
- 15. Sister Women. Women. You’ve hurt me More than men. But only, only Because You Are More Powerful Than them. Frankly, my dear, I just don’t give a Damn, Damn, If only you knew That Spirit Shining within… Is the apple From the Tree, That wisdom Is you. It doesn’t fall far. Sister. Sister. Honor One another’s Fruit As we Go forth Down This orchard. The day is full With blessings, Ripe And ready To be picked.
- 16. Creativity takes courage. -‐Henri Matisse My soul is on fire A pool of golden sparks And intent A sower of seeds and flames Hand reaching over a mess To unleash a creative beast From this here chest
- 17. Scratch and sniff I think about my love... How blessed I am to Have such a man. And you're not really mine, I don't possess or own you, But you're mine anyway. You're mine when I devour you, Drinking in your nectar and spice, The musk of your love. I want to bottle up your scent. Take secret whiffs of you from A silver flask tucked inside my pocket.
- 18. The conductor I hada voice once. I heard it, Loud and scrappy, Blaring out with The fury of trumpets, Poignant as a tambourine. You came along with Good intentions, Raised a finger to Your lips, Hushing my Belligerent symphony. I tilt my head to the side And listen.
- 19. Peony One summer, I wasmade a poet You kissed my lips Breathed music into me The strings of a harp Are fingered Delicately Like you'd play A woman's body The notes you hear Are what cloves And Japanese peony Smell like, Floating through The atmosphere There's only one Frame of reference God I write in verse and prose Standing here at a pivot Staring down the crossroads