I Am Said I (Huruma)

She sets a table For two at Christmas Though she lives alone And no other is expected Maybe her husband or daughter Or both will come From beyond Perhaps the Lord himself Will fulfil his revelation And knock on her door today In a way not done before To take His place more tangibly In the kitchen of her soul She is prepared for the unexpected Just in case

Autumn will be all but over   When I return the leaves will have  Fallen and it will be colder There is something cleansing  About leaving, separation   The cloistering Take-off lets me let go  And I don’t remember  The September air of home Wholly present to now It’s the islands that occupy me  Completely appealing  Compelling There’s an island in me Not remote nor far from land  An island and a separateness And as soon as I am aware That the island is not remote I know  That I must journey To the remote recesses Of the inner and eternal

With the first  Confidence of a child No baggage yet To speak of and still Not named No reason to be afraid Now is where he lives Right now there is Nothing else The heaving sea Surging with trechery Magnificent in its moment Dreadful Absolutely admirable Co-operate Go with it Eyes vigilant Trained on the destination Riding it mastering The fear of it Trembling to the thrill Doing what you cannot Delving into resources Not known until tried

I scrabble for words  To give expression Of who I am The what and the how Of this life But all the tongues Of the world would not Speak it in its fullness I am mystery Unfathomable even To myself The root and mood Are sung in songs Of outer space On hot August nights Soul tugged upward To the orbit of its belonging My home ever a temporary Dwelling place An emptiness deep That clings tenaciously Daring me to let go Knowing that I will not That I am chosen for it And I have chosen The infinity of whom It speaks and in whom I am mirrored

Johnny Carty Mass

Snow on winter water White on white surf tumbles Frothing Unbearable cold Laughing children Do not mind Their voices rising Over thunder While Rufus follows Every stranger Seeking out the playful