Nell Haque

For this one minute long
I’ll be alone
Slow my thinking
To a stop
In just one minute long
I will do hold
Your image sole
and in soul’s rapture
Timelessness
Will be eternal
Joy

A life of purpose
is satisfying
A life of successes
is exciting
A life of joy
is bliss
Choose the fun path
to go
Happiness is made of
bits of joy

I said Mama is here
I saw her as a dream
so little and so rare
with a halo of purity
around body and hair
The lips almost smiling
bread dipped in sweet wine
about to say a prayer
her chest all resplendent
child mother pure light
her heart flickering
with love

What can I give you
my beloved
I have become a flame
at your feet
longing to be consumed
at your altar
in the forever urgency
to give

In the Christmas
The resolutions
Shaken – fear
Long lists – timid
Weak – ache
Feeble complaints
Ghostly prescriptions
Hope
again awaits
for the New Year

The ants
that were quietly marching
at the foot of the ant hill
at night perhaps at morning
approached my place today
and there were yards of them
When the warm weather frosted
they came for a visit and stayed
which brought stress
and mess

A winter with no frost
made my annuals return
All is changing again
the landscape, the weather
Against the dark sky
the moon waning away
My sure footed steps
perhaps a hundred year rain
will sweep us all away
the shock of being shocked
will also pass away…

A duck quacking
his language
to the sky
perhaps was telling
a goose was left behind
away from the flock
a goose is failing
a goose is falling
because was weak
because was sick
perhaps shivering
perhaps too slow
was left behind
to fence alone

And down
the birds are chirping
pigeons are cooing
at their new home
around the roof
ornated edges
and water proofed
pigeons are dancing
they coo a song
blue feather pigeons
grey feathers
dark feathers
white feather too
overseeing, looking
out down below
saying goodby
to the lone goose

As the moon watches
with faded eye
down
from the distance
above

Are the ducks quacking?
Are the birds chirping?
Are the pigeons cooing?
Is the moon watching?
And celebrating
how the lone goose
down in the pond
found a sweetheart
to make a home
Rejoice the world
Blessed be the Lord

At your nearness
love explodes
in quiet surrender
so gentle, so gently

Three o’clock
at your tower
so gentle
you and I
are dissolving
as a candle
we are melting
my spine ablaze
in warmth and chills
I quiver