Haiku
closet shelf
the surreal glow
of a firefly jar
springtide
black angus twins stray
far from the mother
Free Verse
Feliz Navidad
In a box of
papers, I find a card, painted
with colored pencils—a score of music,
lighted candles, a holly wreath.
Feliz Navidad
diciembre 25 de 1964
A card from
Patricia, the thirteen-year-old
from Bogotá, who spent a school year with us,
“Coca Cola,” her only English when she came.
We relied on Spanish-English, English-Spanish
dictionaries for weeks, frustrated by idioms,
misunderstandings. After nine months,
the time span for birthing a child,
her playing with our children, attending
our school and church, and the girl scouts,
she spoke and wrote English rather well.
Soon after she returned to Colombia,
we lost contact, no letter, no painted card.
My prayer for her, my message to her—
Patricia, wherever you are: may the language
we gave you take you far in your rough land.
May you walk with God. Feliz Navidad.
