There is a delicate balance

to be achieved between

speaking your truth

and  sitting on what you know

and allowing time to guide

you to right action

Often it’s important

to take a journey into silence

to block out all external noises

and internal fears

ask yourself

is this the path you envisioned

for yourself

what is it that your heart

seeks to know

what dreams are yours

to live

what life is now

to be given up

for the greater you

to come forth

how to walk in the light

without seeming to hurt another

how to write the stories

of the characters

you’ve lived with

for more than two decades

move forward

listen

accept

know when to avoid

the light and when

to seek

darkness

allowing self

to emerge

and dance intimately

with self

as i sat in meditation

i was visited by

a Thrasher

who kept my company

for over ten minutes

waited in fact until

i went inside and got

my camera

posed for me

flitting from branch

to branch

fluffing herself

all the while

keeping the twig

securely in her beak

i suspect she was

a woman

contemplating

motherhood

pondering the weight

of such desire

should she build a nest

or continue to be

free of such demands

i identified fully

with such deliberations

but thirty years later

i assured her it was worth

the gamble

with love and dedication

they grow worthy

by nature she’s aggressive

an omnivore who

feeds on large insects

even other birds

i can tell she’ll be

a good mother

providing for her

off-springs

teaching them

independence

–how to make their

own way in life

imagine being saddled with

such a name –Noni

i mean why would anyone

do that even to a fruit

Noni   Noni

child don’t you hear me calling you

the teasing

the embarrassment

the sheer frustration

i must admit its biological name

Morinda Citrifolia

is much more pleasing

to the ear

and that it’s related to coffee

well now we could begin a friendship

despite its seedy eyes

that track you from every angle

despite its undefined shape

that seems to be morphing

despite its smell that has earned

it the nick name cheese fruit

-although it is also known as

Great Morinda or Indian Mulberry-

allegedly it’s good for you

perennial and yielding multiple fruits

it begins green then turns yellow

and is almost white when ripe

it sustains many during famine

and is eaten raw or cooked

just add a little salt to enhance the taste

the Chinese use it to eliminate

impotency as well as treat abdominal pain

it has been rediscovered as the lasted remedy

to reduce inflammation and acne

no matter its origin or medicinal might

i think it should be renamed

maybe Stumped Toe or

Remember to Gargle or

Just Give Me a Break

Noni you can find it

almost everywhere in St Croix

ignored by many

avoided by most

but treasured by those

astute to homeopathic remedies

on the eve of Brian’s birthday

the moon was full

when we left our favorite restaurant

after a pre-birthday drink

i thought it was dawn

the night was so light

the smokey white dish

so bright in the sky

moving like a slow rolling ball

i wanted to chase and grab it

there was a poem i could hear

in my mind but could not recite

when we got home i googled

moon poems but could not find it

did my memory trick me

or perhaps there is a moon poem

that wants me to give birth to it

render it as luminous

as that round disk in the sky

almost obliterating all other stars

warming our hearts to appreciate

what’s before and cherish our time

together

it might appear

to be a contradiction

well at least the name

rubber and earthy

or perhaps earthy rubber

but don’t be fooled

it’s just a name

a name that seeks to describe

native to the Virgin Islands

and Puerto Rico

it is common

so common

it is sometimes called

a fan palm as its shape

is ideal to cool you

in the sweat of the day

its symmetry is pleasing

to those for whom aesthetic matters

its yellow flowers

and purple-black fruit

offer their own appeal

as they frame a house

conceal a yard with debris or

stand stately along the driveway