Poetry Roundup #2

(cross-posted on Facebook)

elephant lore

the elephant sleeps and dreams of home
awakens to find to find itself captive and
often dies of homesickness

therefore the elephant drivers keep their elephants awake

therefore, says the poet,
live in fear
that someday your heart will awaken
and remember its home

(from Wilberforce-Clarke's notes on the 359th ghazal of Hafiz)

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a misconception

Love is not a reward for good behavior.

It's a function of the universe:

Like sunlight, like rain,
it falls on everyone

Indifferently,

Joyously.

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Immigration

I said recently, "We are all hyphenated Americans."
We all came from elsewhere (so they say.)

And when we arrived here, the earth said "Welcome!"
It didn't say, "No, go home!"
It couldn't say, "If you're staying, at least don't kill anyone."

It could only say:

"Whatever you put into me will come back to you.
If you sow poison, you will reap poison.
If you shed blood, someday blood will come looking for you."