THIS SINGING
Abyss & Bridge
Renée Gregorio

nothing but divine movement,
says Hafiz,
I’m trying to find you—
you, the spiral in my blood.

I overturn each rock
in the garden, looking.
Each stone, its own life
pulsing in my bare hands.

I do not think.
I do not think for a minute
that any god is watching,
but I feel the gods watching.

Bees are overtaking the woodbine.
Mockingbirds sing the song of the other.
Every day, a new seed sprouts.
When the wind blows, I hear the voices of my dead.

Each stone, its own beauty.
I hold the spotted one, the red sandstone, black basalt—
each one pressed to my cheek is a universe
holding space between heaven and earth.

But who is god?
—the one inside,
the one inside, singing out.


©2021 Renée Gregorio