\ninto the small room I sleep in
\nand I am awake\u2014really awake
\n<\/em>poem-saliva chattering my teeth<\/p>\n
the corpse has instructed me
\nto write it all down
\nleaving nothing out\u2014
\neven the silent spaces
\nbetween the words
\nmatter<\/p>\n
Summer Solstice, 2023<\/h2>\n
on this short night Surprise me with your colors\u2014 Sing me into ecstasy with your jazzy display Surprise me with your rain Surprise me with your morning light So that now,
\nJune moonflowers bloom
\na caterpillar inches along
\nshelters under a green leaf
\nbass camp booms
\nrainwater sky
\npuddles form
\nfrogs speak up
\nwatermelon circles
\nsticky chin and sweet lips
\nsocks look for mates
\nshoes scattered about
\nmy bare feet untethered
\nwe celebrate all of this, this long day
\nlaughter echoes, joy abounds
\nour pride is our human dignity
\nelongated love beams whisper in the wind
\na centuries-old mantra
\nmay all beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness \u2026 <\/em>
\nmay we be free from suffering and the root of suffering \u2026 <\/em>
\nmay we not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering \u2026
\n<\/em>may we be dwell in the great equanimity, free from passion, aggression and prejudice \u2026
\n<\/em>repeat often<\/p>\nSpring Rhapsody<\/h2>\n
\nbrilliant and bold,
\nsubdued and mysterious<\/p>\n
\nof sound, airborne undercurrents
\nand sky whistles<\/p>\n
\nthat nourishes the ground
\nthat holds each tiny seedling
\nuntil ready to burst its cover,
\nthe ground that has held each bulb
\ndormant through winter months
\nawaiting your season of return<\/p>\n
\nthat calibrates this journey
\nof wakefuness<\/p>\n
\nwe, too, can follow your lead
\nsurprising each other<\/p>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/vice-versa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DebHiersPoetAtWork.jpeg\")
<\/a>Debra Hiers is an Atlanta-based author and poet, writing coach, and editor. Her publications include two chapbooks, Movin\u2019 On<\/em> and Small Thoughts in a Big Universe,<\/em> and Monkey Talk,<\/em> a recording of music and poetry. Poems have appeared in Your Grace, Catalyst Magazine, And the Rocks Will Hum,<\/em> and The Corona Silver Linings Anthology. <\/em>“I discovered poetry while I was in college, and it fast became a staple in my creativity breadbasket. As an improviser, I combine playful clarinet musings with poems in performance.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"