After Cloud Cover
by Claudine Nash
I am waiting for the day
to announce itself
in fiery streaks of
red and pink.
Instead, the night
simply drains itself
from the sky
offering
just enough light
to reveal a footpath
into the wild field.
Now slowly I see
where my feet
need to be
and exactly
what needs
to be done.
A Beautiful Rain
by Claudine Nash
You feel like a drought, yes,
but the soil does not crack
with your footsteps
nor do your bare feet
kick up dust.
Your breath does not draw
water from the dirt
or cause words
to crumble between
your teeth.
There is earth in you, yes,
but not sand. Not rock,
not desert, nothing sharp
or arid. Your edges
breathe and bend.
You pulse
in all the right
places.
There is a pool in your
heart, deep and sustaining.
Nothing has withered,
no one will drown here
or shrivel to bone.
There is storm
in your veins, yes,
but not a dry gust.
It is a beautiful rain, and
somewhere beneath it,
a field of wild grass and
tulips is spinning itself
to life.
Sometimes Before It Storms
by Claudine Nash
Sometimes before
it storms,
I pack a satchel
of peaches and
call myself Beloved.
I say such things as
“Beloved, you need
water” or “My beloved,
let’s go to the sea.”
I do not fret the mist,
it is a beach after all
and moisture is inherent
in the process. Besides,
a good peach always
pleases me.
I am content to let
the waves have their way
with my breath
until my lungs fall
and rise with their
rhythm.
I become
my own term of
endearment then
breathe myself
to life.
Dear, you
give me such grief
for disappearing
into the ocean,
but tell me,
without this,
how else could
I ever offer you
any fruit?
Claudine Nash’s collections include The Wild Essential (Aldrich Press, forthcoming), Parts per Trillion (Aldrich Press, 2016) and The Problem with Loving Ghosts (Finishing Line Press, 2014). Her poetry has received Pushcart Prize nominations and has appeared in numerous publications including Asimov’s Science Fiction, BlazeVOX, Cloudbank and Haight Ashbury Literary Journal among others. She is also a practicing psychologist. “A Beautiful Rain” was previously published in The Poeming Pigeon: Poems from the Garden. “Sometimes Before It Storms” was previously published in Peacock Journal. www.claudinenashpoetry.com.
by Claudine Nash
I am waiting for the day
to announce itself
in fiery streaks of
red and pink.
Instead, the night
simply drains itself
from the sky
offering
just enough light
to reveal a footpath
into the wild field.
Now slowly I see
where my feet
need to be
and exactly
what needs
to be done.
A Beautiful Rain
by Claudine Nash
You feel like a drought, yes,
but the soil does not crack
with your footsteps
nor do your bare feet
kick up dust.
Your breath does not draw
water from the dirt
or cause words
to crumble between
your teeth.
There is earth in you, yes,
but not sand. Not rock,
not desert, nothing sharp
or arid. Your edges
breathe and bend.
You pulse
in all the right
places.
There is a pool in your
heart, deep and sustaining.
Nothing has withered,
no one will drown here
or shrivel to bone.
There is storm
in your veins, yes,
but not a dry gust.
It is a beautiful rain, and
somewhere beneath it,
a field of wild grass and
tulips is spinning itself
to life.
Sometimes Before It Storms
by Claudine Nash
Sometimes before
it storms,
I pack a satchel
of peaches and
call myself Beloved.
I say such things as
“Beloved, you need
water” or “My beloved,
let’s go to the sea.”
I do not fret the mist,
it is a beach after all
and moisture is inherent
in the process. Besides,
a good peach always
pleases me.
I am content to let
the waves have their way
with my breath
until my lungs fall
and rise with their
rhythm.
I become
my own term of
endearment then
breathe myself
to life.
Dear, you
give me such grief
for disappearing
into the ocean,
but tell me,
without this,
how else could
I ever offer you
any fruit?
Claudine Nash’s collections include The Wild Essential (Aldrich Press, forthcoming), Parts per Trillion (Aldrich Press, 2016) and The Problem with Loving Ghosts (Finishing Line Press, 2014). Her poetry has received Pushcart Prize nominations and has appeared in numerous publications including Asimov’s Science Fiction, BlazeVOX, Cloudbank and Haight Ashbury Literary Journal among others. She is also a practicing psychologist. “A Beautiful Rain” was previously published in The Poeming Pigeon: Poems from the Garden. “Sometimes Before It Storms” was previously published in Peacock Journal. www.claudinenashpoetry.com.