Weight of the Soul
How would the sudden homeless soul
get itself situated in someplace new?
∼Mary Roach “Spook”
it wasn’t enough to contact the dead
spiritualists wanted to prove that the soul existed
particularly at that moment when breath
left the body for the last time and the soul rose
through the open mouth when death was certain
they tried to photograph it to weigh it on a scale
but the soul weighed nothing and if it
held the memories of before birth
so you could face your own death
it all evaporated in the end
and even if I could talk to you again
would it change the reality of your death
perhaps that breathe flickered like a silent movie
and if nothing else when the soul left
though it can’t be proved I hope it rose from you
like a kite and got stuck in a tree somewhere
Goddess of Mercy
no lotus blossoms in the desert
just sand and wind intermittent rain
the eternal principles of erosion
but the willows send up red shoots
every spring down by the creek
I wait for the goddess of mercy
the one who perceives
the sounds of the world
which means she might hear me
my jar is filled with the treasure
of clear water
and my voice is lifted
my cave is carved in sandstone
under petroglyphs
of long-horned sheep and buffalo
inside the sand is cold
and pink as tulips
my father’s ghost
is the echo of a stone
skipping the surface
on the underground lake
Thirteen Buttons
on the corner of Main and 2nd South
the Hari Krishna’s played guitars
and sang handing out flowers
in front of Pennys
next to Woolworth’s the Army Navy Store
doors opened to the musty smell of tents
sleeping bags old kit from old wars
linoleum floors camouflage
olive green drab hats with earflaps
some things you just need
and I needed a pair of Navy issue
Cracker Jack Trousers
blue black wool thirteen buttons
laced in the back no zipper
saved babysitting money
for months to have them
bought them even though
they were an inch too short
mom unpicked the hem to help
I wore them faithfully
thrilled by the intricate buttoning
though they itched like hell
and took way too long to unbutton
when you had to pee
Learn more about Maureen by clicking on her bio: https://thievingmagpie.org/maureen-clark-bio/