My Far Corner

{Before}

Warm wardrobe wood will greet me, shyly,
To send me outstretched thoughts of welcome,
But through this unfamiliar mosaic tile,
I shall hardly feel it. I too am at a distance.

The fractured apricot colors may hold each other,
Like the warming smile that would trace dimpled cheeks,
The veins of silver grey stretch outward, to catch
Thoughts held for me in the gleam of opened doors.

But perhaps it cannot send them, across this tender space,
Not yet. Though I may see the tremor of hopeful fingers,
The delicate caress of sunlight is brushed by me aside,
Caught instead beside my feet, in the mosaic web below.

{Between}

Butterfly daughters settle on the soft orange armchair,
Their threaded wings stitching familiar strands of memory
Here, surrounding me and again I am just a girl, beloved.
That ancient wood pillar (unspoken legacy) stands beside,
Guarding our peace in the forest of living yesterdays.

These well-worn wings openly receive me
As I settle into strengthened warmth of the noon sky.
Maternal touch surrounds me, comforts me
Where my tiny, encased cares can spread wide.
I drink it in, between deepened exhales, contented.

I dive below the flowing froth of knobby knits,
The turquoise cadence splashing me with tassels.
The woven waterway easily flows over my shoulders
And into my lap. Tufts escape my fingers, and I laugh.
The embrace refreshes me, and strengthens my fluttering heart.

{Behind}

Delicate dignity alighted from the four corners of my poster bed,
A castle for my cares, with daylight, no longer brushing past.
Its white fingers caught me from the neighboring desk, a release
From my spinner’s wheel of words, where tranquility’s hand
Carried me onward. Straw can still glint like gold in slumber.

A tapestry of beaded bronze and blue hung beside me,
A wellspring of gently swirling color that fell deep,
Deep, into the dreams of memories from lives I never lived.
It dripped below starlight to sing things unknowable behind me,
Following my pathways with quiet, guiding steps.

My chocolate sheets let me unwrap my moments,
And I savor the simple sweetness of their warmth,
A smooth taste lingers as rest melts deeply,
And I forget to remember. I am unwound until
The sun rises to make all things known again.