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And it is not darkness that unites us, not the cold distance of space, but the offering of water

— from 'In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa' by Ada Limon https://europa.nasa.gov/message-in-a-bottle/sign-on/

Advent Of Love Dec 24

Head to head, ear to ear, the ground solid beneath our two awkward bodies, our legs and feet spread like hands of an odd clock

time's suddenly stopped

we sip at the water dropped from the night sky above, open mouths to take in the rain, pausing only to wonder at the stars, to revel in love again

Yet there is still green to glean before moving on, and time.

— from 'My Ornithology' by Hai-Dang Phan https://www.slowdownshow.org/episode/2022/05/13/674-my-ornithology-orangecrowned-warbler

Advent Of Love Dec 23

There's wings fluttering inside the pine tree as he turns to me to say, Look, there's Jupiter, nearest to the moon

We raise our eyes together to look, a bright dot, shimmering within the aura of an orb

but still my ears wander to the bird, whatever it is, shaking snow and frost dust to the ground

and Charlie Parker plays inside the quiet of my mind

no one told me to write this down

— from 'Don't Say Love Just Signal' by Tyree Daye https://www.slowdownshow.org/episode/2022/03/09/627-dont-say-love-just-signal

Advent Of Love Dec 22

but I did - scraps of lightning inside blue lines – each time we'd remember, I'd write it down – graffiti poems is what you called them, street art scribbled out on loose leaf paper

We travel carrying our words

— from Carrying Our Words by Ofelia Zepeda https://poets.org/poem/carrying-our-words

Advent Of Love Dec 21

Suitcases and carry-on bags zipped up tight, pockets jammed with paper, socks stuffed with poems, a folded airplane sent forward with the start of a story, sneakers inked on the sides with words in magic marker; a journal, empty but for ideas

Surrendering with grace to the evening, with as much grace as I can muster ...

— from 'Evening' by Jeremy Radin https://poets.org/poem/evening-7

Advent Of Love Dec 20

You know that moment I'm always remembering, don't you, the moment in a summer evening when light of day fades into dark of night, and our minds turn from thinking to dreaming?

the blossoms flurry down whispering,

Be patient

— from 'Cherry Blossoms' by Toi Derricotte https://www.slowdownshow.org/episode/2022/08/12/739-cherry-blossoms

Advent Of Love Dec 19

We held our hands out, stretched full, the better to catch fallen blossoms, petals white like stolen snow - yet little did we know: nothing lasts beyond the moment you're in

I place my hope on the water in this little boat ... — from 'The Language Issue' by Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill https://onbeing.org/poetry/ceist-na-teangan-the-language-issue/

Advent Of Love Dec 18

And may it forever float, when currents are waves are oceans – the forward motion of our movement breathes into these sails, ever searching the horizon for kind wind

We're holding our breath - the sky's asleep but dreaming of falling objects

for Algot

We are mere ripples on the surface, a stone's throw away from sinking

for Sheri

Write, so I can hear you

— from 'Eva Whose Shadow Is A Swan' by Dunya Mikhail https://onbeing.org/poetry/eva-whose-shadow-is-a-swan/

Advent Of Love Dec 17

Letter obsessive, I follow each racing swoop with steady fingers, tracing lines you wrote, remembering the way you formed your O's your L's your V's with your tongue, your hope catching on Sun, the silence of your E's lingering as ghosts in the air, your voice calling, a Siren on paper; I am only stalling – listening, I hear you