Yesterday, I received a gift, a book of poems sent to me by mail for my birthday: Voices of Light: Spiritual and Visionary Poems by Women around the World from Ancient Sumeria to Now edited by Aliki Barnstone. It came to me from my friend Katrina in Chicago. It is full of astonishing and lovely poems. I am reading them curiously, joyfully, and with great, particular attention. They deserve this from me and from all their readers.
Sometimes the short poems stand out like red poppies in a green field. This one was like that:
“Light and Earth”
Most beautiful of things I leave is sunlight.
Then come glazing stars and the moon’s face.
Then ripe cucumbers and apples and pears.
Praxilla
(ca. 450 BCE)
I will meditate more on these poems in the days to come.
(Thank you, Katrina!)
THE POETRY PLACE 