Arizona Off-Trail Repose
Who has not seen beauty through
Eyes of pain
And what is more beautiful—
The stalwart arms and delicate spring flowers
Of a deca-limbed saguaro in May bloom,
Finely-needled against the elements,
Or the smiling face of a Jamaican emergency room nurse
Welcoming you back through a druggy post-op
Haze?
Those sere Arizona hills beckon with an
Impossibly blue sky framing
Rounded knolls colonized by cacti sentinels,
While the urban landscape, seen through
Slanted hospital room blinds,
Populated by Don Mills apartment blocks,
Calls a patient back to the drudgery and
Splendour of living.
Bruce Jacobs Davidovitch
North York, ON
Thoughts of Home and Family
“To house and garden, tree and swing,
Goodbye, goodbye to everything.”
As I journey back in time,
My thoughts return once more
To that little house upon a hill,
Where vines crept round the door.
A cozy haven, safe and warm,
My “humble hearth of home.”
That sheltered feeling will remain
No matter where I roam,
With loving parents, stalwart, true,
For comfort, come what may,
Their open arms and guiding hands,
Their prayers along the way.
Goodbye to home and family,
To all I’ve left behind.
But neither time nor distance
Can break the ties that bind.
Each fond remembrance brings to mind
The loved ones I hold dear.
Just echoes of their songs remain,
Sweet music to my ear.
The years have told their story
Of once upon a time,
Those happy childhood days I spent
In that dear old home of mine
With weathered shingles, silvery grey,
From time, from sun and rain.
Take me back just for today.
I’d love to go home again.
Dean (O’Reilley) Mullin
Oromocto, NB
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