Pictures and Poems: History Lessons

HistoryLessons

this crazy world
with its mountains and molehills
and butterfly wings
that beat so gently
while I scroll past the latest jarring atrocity
this crazy life
in a whirl of twenty-four-seven
threads and streams
voices speaking that should be
silent
rally cries that go
unheard
I find it hard to remember things like
evening walks
cocoa from scratch
a long, hard run
my feet carry me past burning bushes
where I should stop and rest
and ruminate
on the magnificence of my cells
I contain the universe
billions of years old
in my bones
this crazy world
where both grit and glory
exist in the pause between inhale and exhale
of miraculous air

History Lessons

-Melissa Kircher

In response to the Kaitlin Curtice interview on The Deconstructionists Podcast.

Pictures and Poems: Nora’s Laugh

Laughterthere is this deep laugh you do
when unconcerned with anything but
the absolute delight of the moment
it’s not pink
or sparkly
it doesn’t wear a tiara
or wait for a prince
guttural, from your belly
blue eyes alight
you laugh
like a middle-aged trucker
or a tipsy Irishman finishing his punchline
when you laugh like this
awash in pure essence
fully yourself
not girl
not daughter
just you
I know God exists
and that we are meant to find this world
hilarious.

Nora’s Laugh
-Melissa Kircher

To purchase a print of “Laughter” visit Melissa Kircher Artwork at www.society6.com

Pictures and Poems: Lioness

Lionessshe is standing in front of three hundred people

pure energy zinging through her bones

she ducks her head under the wave of a pain swell

only to be met with a wall of water

on the other side

she is trembling, sweating hearing no

and she takes it

she is what roars from the ashes of an agony-charred heart

lightning strikes and her muscles coil—taut

ready to warrior spring

she is learning to pad softly through the thicket

to move in tune with the breath of the air

she is beauty

she is strength

she is a woman finding her voice

only to die to it

she is the village elder who has seen a thousand battles

and finally

finally

understands when to fight and when to tread carefully

like a huntress, and listen

“Lioness” -Melissa Kircher