(for my Amherst Writers & Artists colleagues)

Oh, my dear,
whispers the goddess,
what you hold in your
once-slender hand—

fingers now thicker, yes,
the road maps of your life
running into your knuckles,
this hand that has held

thousands of implements
for writing or drawing—
is a reminder: Keep going.
Keep reading. Keep writing.

Keep finding big trees under
which to walk. Take the paths
into the forest that are new
to you, ones that promise

to lead you to surprise.
And when you cannot make
your way into nature, remember
that you are nature. Study

the rocks and pebbles and
shells that you have brought
into your life; hold the essence
of all there is in a glass sphere.

Listen to what it all has to tell
you: The gifts of the world
are yours, always, in this
and beyond, truly—

Amene.