O broken world
thank you for having
me here & also broken
thank you for breaking
me in this way
long muscle in the leg
aching, aching
vibrant green of my heartspace
muddied by all the grief
there is so much to cry about
yet it is hard to cry
all the grief lives like rocks
in the riverbed of our souls
it is what moves the water
through, what causes burbles
O broken world
today I cried at how nothing
can ever be perfect or even
just okay: this wild & tender
living breaks me, aches me
yet imperfections are what
make us, the glitches in genes
shape us: species upon species
& each one buzzing in aliveness
feather colors popping, & textures
& faces, little hairs waving, & all the
delicate physics required to work
an ear. All comes via error. & here
we are, and we can hear.
& how the songs all make us cry.
O broken self, so the songs can slice
through us & beyond. O broken world
you are my heritage & I will learn
to love you, to live you, to sing