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Poetry A - L > Hartley & Deutsch

Poems by Maria Hartley
Artworks by Sara Deutsch

THE GIFT OF MY CHILD

by Maria Hartley

My child is a morning sunrise
magenta and persimmon
the promise of an easy day
swinging in a soft hammock.

My child is a star in the sky
and though we never met
I see her -
plump folds of skin,
dark gray eyes,
curious gaze.

My child is in a nest I’ve made
in the hole in my chest,
carved like a canyon,
from grief’s tears and anger’s rocky edges,
over months that seemed like centuries.
I can turn on my wing
when my flight gets lonely
and return to her there.

My child rides next to me on long trips
and I take her for wooded walks in the stroller.
She is with me when quiet descends
and I tell her about the world
and make sure she is warm.

My child will never suffer
the pain of an injection,
tears after a break-up,
the disappointment of being let down,
the loss of a child.

My child is by my side
and I can see life through her eyes.
The magic of a Christmas toy,
a beetle crawling on the window,
jet puffed marshmallows in hot chocolate.

My child visits me in my dreams.
She dances in on tiptoes,
a Thumbelina.
With her long flowing hair
and her guileless stories,
she fills my heart
with giant yellow daisies.

REMEMBER

by Maria Hartley

When you are lonely,
remember the roar of ocean waves
ending their long journey,
crashing on the beach,
bringing songs of deep sea mystery
to share on shores.
Lie on the beach and listen
and even if you don’t speak the language
it is impossible
not to feel their touch.

When you are in doubt,
remember the majesty of a nebula,
an interstellar cloud of dust,
an explosion of primary color
in amoeba-like shapes.
Replication on a universal scale
of our own human cells,
of the pure power of life.
Wonder need not worry
in a pattern so true.

When you are sad,
remember the soft black eyes
of a velvety gray mourning dove.
Climb beneath her plush feathers
and lay within her folds.
Feel her stand alone
and open her heart to each day,
cooing at the close of her sad song
because she knows
that sadness is not the end of the story.

When you lack faith,
remember a field of grasses
at high noon.
Sit amongst the tender shoots
birthed from the union of earth and sun.
Watch animals graze
tasting nourishing juices
and unadorned sweetness,
chewing slowly the first time,
bringing them back to chew again
when the ground is bare.

About the Author and Artist

Maria & Sara offer these works to KotaPress as a preview to their forthcoming book "Secrets of the Dandelion" which will feature full color artwork along with the poems. Look for it on your bookshelves soon!
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