healing greater than wounding

“Healing has greater power

 than wounding and inflicting pain”

implies that love has greater power

than fear, and i wonder at that

given that fear is so abundant

and primitive a newborn reacts

in fear to falling yet accepts warmth

and nourishment as part of self

so overcoming fear with love

is a learned response

but overcome, it does

for those with courage  

and it takes love to even attempt

to try to heal

both daughters

both daughters strong for their families

both aching within for painful losses

but laughing together, scheming fun

in travel plans to fulfill a longing

of many years never realized

until now when they will decide

to make what is yearned for happen

whatever the cost to themselves

to give healing to those they love

aruna

a gentle peace corps volunteer

in fiji meets vivacious, adventurous

beauty and falls into a love that lasts

decades of shared sorrows, accomplishments and joys

his service to the world has built

the core of his full world

reward enough and plenty

we have drunk full

we have drunk full, my love
swelled with the rynthm of incoming waves pounding earthly shore
connecting anemone, zebra,
and human

we have felt the tumult
of birthing waves roiled by breezes, currents, tides
our peace landed in stars

we have known
hovering, intense sky
algid, bleak, raw cold
embrittled bare twigs scratching
at ice-laced windows when frost
has cemented each breath of life
and each inhalation burned

you reached out
reminding me that love
like life
is gift watched over by angels

my love, we have drunk the wind

seeds of cosmos

farmer friends sent seeds from their last year’s

cosmos flowers

in thank you for small gifts for their wedding

cosmos are so lovely, pink and white, delicate

lacy leaves as fragile as love

as enduring as devotion