“Light as a Feather” by Bob Rich

“Light as a Feather” by Bob Rich

Brighter than the sun.
There is a bird behind all the sweetly-scented light.
The sun steps down off its high pedestal,
throwing its hat into the ring.
And a stronger light sings from the canopied sheet-music of the sky.

The entire world is covered with mist
and only part of the earth is lighted, the rest in shadow.
But a good heart is a burning lamp on the long weary road of the night.
Lifting your eyes outside of yourself helps you see the banquet table ~~
where over-hanging fruit trees gently toss apples, lemons, and peaches
into a woven basket on the table’s fragrant varnished wood,
each fruit landing into a purple cloth within the basket with a soft kiss
that speaks of a century’s worth of longing and travel.

From the lighted sky, a gentle rain falls
which cools the skin as we walk across the endless sands of the desert.
But the sun is absent from the sky,
and the high, fragrant light remains in its place,
and a song is heard, sending music into the atmosphere,
with words of…
prayer;
quiet drives along the California coast;
forgiveness;
five beautiful minutes spent winning a prize at a theme park;
grace;
and a bike ride along the beach, so deeply peaceful that sad memories

from the past evaporate from the pavement beside the bike path in a graceful miracle:
like a puddle of turpentine swirling up into a brief colored cloud,
vanishing in a bird-like flicker.

Only a bird of kindness has healing in its wings, Shevette,
which you make so beautifully clear.