Over rooftops fly
All of my yesterdays
I watch them stretch
Beyond the orange
As they disappear
Into my tomorrows
Carrying traces of the
Woman I used to be
A swallow flew between
Me and the sun and all
Was large and calm in
The safety of mother’s
Garden-arms where
Flowers replaced words
And houses full of mockery
Stood quiet in the shadows
Lifted with rough courage
Through serene days of
Life and death threading
Beads of glass around my
Home of earth and bricks
I found integrity staring at me
Like a graceful and loving gift
I will cherish the then and now