Mariamma Iris

A poem I wrote in 2017:

Peering into me like a clear river pool,

I shift and blur along the surface,

But remain crisp and bright along the stony bottom

Feelings glide along me,

Touching my skin, skipping along my surface

Sliding past, intangible for now

Eventually they’ll be sucked inward with a sigh

And join the rest beneath my dancing current

Sorted internally by the seemingly random sway

There they go

Happiness

Bliss

Utter confusion

And most commonly:

A medley,

A rainbow that mixes into brown

And paints my pin-straight hair

This factory is hard at work,

Gears churning,

Mind working,

Heart sitting and watching in amusement

The casual boss that doesn’t know why I ever fret

My connection to the stars, pulsating within me

A constant and catchy beat

My heart knows the crinkle in my nose,

The deep sigh

She knows my confusion before I’m confused

So,

She shines a light that trickles and shimmers into my bloodstream

Iridescent hope and security,

Tangible but illusive

She knows the river bend, the sunlit sky

She knows the eagle’s swoop

Mariamma

Time is beautiful,

A figment of our imagination or not,

It passes as it wishes,

Fast then slow, through your wading fingertips

A burst of movement

Right before a slow crawl

Time heals and that is beautiful,

Slowly painting layers over once raw wounds

She lays glistening medicinal sap along your back

And your scrape is transformed

You catch a glimpse of yourself - over your shoulder

Perhaps when you throw some salt over the left side

And it is gone, fresh skin, glowing and hopeful

Stronger too

Has taken its place in the destiny of your freckled skin

Mapped out before birth,

Each hiccup of melanin planned and carefully placed

By the decisive hand of The Universe

Time will tell where the map will take you,

Which sun rays will have their way with you,

Where the wounds will be inflicted and how they'll heal

But they will heal,

Because time is beautiful and she is on your side

At your side

Fingers intertwined

She has your back

And a forest full of tree sap