Life Itself

The sound of life 
can be heard in the trill
of the birds holding up the sky

In the cries of those tired
of living with so much pain

In the hushed whispers of those desperately 
making love before the day begins again.

The scent of life 
can be breathed through the window
left cracked open in the basement

Through the eyes of a stranger
who’s forgotten his original name

Through kneeling on wet earth 
and bowing before a backyard garden.

The vision of life 
mirrored in all the places 
we dare to really see.

The touch of life 
in precisely the ways 
we dream
​of dropping the armor 
and walking like a free woman

in love with life itself.

~Jenny Clarke 2019