Animal Life

For every prayer
there is an equal
and opposite prayer.

She was curled
in the corner
and too starved
to flinch when
they tossed her
in the trash
where she died
three days later
pupless and
full of milk.


asha

Then and Now

The picture is from a photo album
my mother request on her death bed.
She is the girl sitting on the dock.
This poem is for her.

Shall I bend or break...

That is the question.
I am like a word
that has been overused.
Daughter.
Sister.
Cousin.
Friend.
Student.
Girlfriend.
Boyfriend.
Member.
Stranger.
Mother.
Father.
Aunt.
Uncle.
Teacher.
Expert.
Ruler.
Grandmother.
Grandfather.
Confidant.
Castaway.
Enemy.
What do I purchase
in exchange for my integrity
and my freedom?

                                                               
 asha

Horary for Winter Solstice

Near the South Galactic Pole
between Cetus and Sculptor
beyond the universe of naked eye
the Silver Coin Galaxy
shimmers—

to its west
near the galactic equator and ecliptic intersection              
the diffuse nebulae M20 and M8
stellar sphinxes,
guardians at the solstice point of our sun
shimmer—

on my earth    
wild roses perfume this afternoon’s rain—

on my earth
in the 21st century after Christ
after countless way-showers and seed-sowers                       
the only revolution left
is love.


asha