“Goddess”

the love that bears a scar
long winding scar
all the way down the muscle
of my heart
It stopped
just once
and then I thought
I was having a heart attack
but it was just exhaustion
the despair that I feel
when I think of you
is matched only by the bliss
of your coming and going
the natural branches of this
tree
that flow through my body
pull energy out of the air
and filter through my heart
my chest heaves and sighs
and tears run down my cheeks
I plant one tree at a time
remembering what
it felt like
to have roots

when you go you take the earth with you
as far as she will turn
when you go
you take the heavens with you
when you go
sweet life of living
you take my past and bury it
in the Earth
where children will find it
while playing out in the dunes

Mother goddess
when you die
the world dies with you
and the life of the air becomes
hot and dead
The spirit of the essence
of the tree of life
wells up in my throbbing soul
and bursts bleeding
heart running away from itself
all over the ground
asphalt is lovely and is home to the heart
when all else fails
your coming and going
brings breath
to my lungs
and soil to dip my roots in
may you never die