This Morning

My Lover Gave Me Green Leaves

by Josephine Dickinson

 

My lover gave me green leaves
with the mud of the garden on them,
radishes sharp and red,
nasturtium flames.

 

He gave me the tender heart
of a cabbage, its glossy coat,
a loaf of bread studded deep
with seeds.

 

He gave me the note
the blackbird
I’d cried at the blackness of
by the river sang.

 

He gave me the struck fire
of the thoughts
in his mind—
flint on flint.

 

He gave me the taste,
direct on his tongue,
of the syllables their embers
did not destroy.

 

He gave me his word,
the word of an Adam—
a promise,
should he set eyes on the sun.

 

He gave me a drop of the dew
to hold.
To see my face in it.
To look through.

 

He gave me,
in the chrisomed palm
of his empty hand—
a gasp of joy.

12 thoughts on “This Morning

  1. This is quite simply, breathtaking, Eddie. A scene of such tranquility and calm, so wonderfully observed.
    Hey Eddie, you might recognise the location on my posting for tomorrow (Monday)

  2. Hi Dear eddie,
    Oh god, this is beautiful. It holds all the hope of the world in it. Infinite beauty, and endless peace…all within our grasp.
    I teared up over these words from the poem:
    “He gave me,
    in the chrisomed palm
    of his empty hand—
    a gasp of joy.”
    So excruciatingly sweet…
    I found it fascinating how the trees on the left are in the dark and the trees on the right are lit up by the sun’s rays. My eyes are just drawn to the light on the tree tops on the right. And yet, the dark left side anchors the right side. Without that dark side it would not be so dramatic…and filled with promise (from those sunlit trees).
    Thank you eddie for SUCH beauty! Gawd, you are talented!

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