gifts

there were blessings waiting for my return.

because it was mighty hot on mon nite I put down my bag & went outside to water. when I lookd into my belovd apricot tree I saw some yellow spots among the leaves & thot the intense heat while I was away had done damage. but when I lookd closer I was amazd to see fruit.



my architect Richard Martinez gave me as a housewarming gift several pots of apricot fledglings which he grew from seed. the ones I plantd in the back yard with its treacherous caleche died. but the pair I plantd in the front have survivd these 15 years. the larger has become a treasure in my daily life. both blossom but neither has producd fruit. until now. of course the birds are voracious in their eating. however I was able to salvage a couple & tastd them yesterday.

& in my mail was a small package from Indiana. William Allegrezza sent me an object from his found poetry project.





I love both the notion of combining poetry & objects   & Allegrezza's feeling that by not documenting his texts he's creating "a dance with oblivion." in the long run all the poems we all create are the mulch of oblivion. but there's something heroic abt a poet knowingly & honestly facing this future.

so my return has been enrichd by gifts from past & present. fresh fruit & sparkling words. how lucky am I?