written By
Maru Mori*
To rise from bed on legs still working,
to feed the cats before making coffee,
and open the door to the dark back porch
without fear of falling or a lurking predator.
To bend and lift a heavy pot to the stove
and choose to cook or not, easy in the ways
of browning and braising, slicing onions,
eyeballing spices. To live in peace.
in gratitude for peace, for quiet, without
bombs near or in the distance, no stalker,
no spurned or power hungry man in a rage,
who feels entitled to anything he wants.
To hold with both hands and relish a mug
of hot coffee, without hunger or longing,
with only hope for these comforts for anyone
who wants them, tea with milk if they prefer,
the choice of pancakes or waffles later. Eggs
and flour on the counter, the power still on.
* The heartbreaking simplicity of ordinary things. From The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig
