Float Away — A ghazal in honor of National Poetry Month

While in college the second time, this time for an English degree, I took several creative writing courses from Jeffrey S. Hillard, a professor who was an excellent poet and writer, and also was well-loved by the students. After graduating, I worked with Jeff on web editing RED!webzine, a publication Jeff initially started to share stories of transformation in the lives of prisoners and individuals reentering society and of innovations making it happen.

Jeff is an excellent poet and recently won a poetry contest sponsored by the Cincinnati Public Library. I wrote the following poem in Jeff’s Poetry class at the College of Mount St. Joseph in 2004.

I post it here in honor of National Poetry Month.

03.25.04 Float Away White airy puff balls leave flower stems to float away over grass where I lie and watch how clouds do float away. Squirrels and rabbits scramble for food, a spider clings to a twig. Geese, like an arrow, in the sky slice through, float away. Fresh sprouts shoot up, a delicate green mist covers the wood. Fragrances of jonquils and hyacinths wrapped in blue float away. A breeze of warm air carries whispered voices of mothers, sisters, friends, lovers, who float away. I plant a seed in the rich black soil of the earth and watch as the children born from my womb float away. A cricket chirps and so do the restless birds who chatter of morning but soon float away.

For more about the ghazal poetic form see Poets.org.