Going out to the garden
this morning
to plant seeds
for my winter greens
-the strong, fiery mustard
& the milder
broadleaf turnip-
I saw a gecko
who
like the rest of us
has been
reeling
from the heat.
Geckos like heat
I know this
but the heat
these last few days
has been excessive
for us
& for them.
A spray of water
from the hose
touched its skin:
I thought it would
run away.
There are crevices
aplenty
to hide in:
the garden wall
is made of stones.
But no
not only
did the gecko
not run away
it appeared
to raise
its eyes
& head
looking for more.
I gave it.
Squirt after
squirt
of cooling
spray
from the green
garden hose.
Is it the end
of the world?
It seemed to ask.
This bliss,
is it Paradise?
I bathed it
until we were both
washed clean
of the troubles
of this world
at least for this moment:
this moment of pleasure
of gecko
joy
as I with so much happiness
played Goddess
to Gecko.
This poem is taken from Alice Walker's latest book, "The World Will Follow Joy: Turning Madness into Flowers." Alice Walker is a living angel to me. Her grace, warmth, intelligence , creativity, love & wisdom is like a warm fire in a cold, desolate terrain (modern society). Her voice is like a whisper calling us to go beyond & within. A film about her life, "Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth," is out and she has another book that's out as well, namely, "The Cushion in the Road: Meditation and Wandering as the Whole World Awakens to Being in Harm’s Way," in which she discusses many of the dominant themes in her life and work, including racism, Palestine, Africa and Obama’s presidency. Check out the trailer of this must-see film:
:::MME:::
