Goodnight

Goodnight
We’ll hush the light
And as we sleep 
The dark retreats
May I carry safely through
The valuables entrusted me
A whispered breath to
Search inside
A little voice resounding wise
A box of sadness safely held
And ribboned with a tender twine
A heart of good and earnest hope  
A heart of losses 
Never lost
A treasure chest of empty maps
To chart them at my own behest 
A spade to delve
A star to wear
The armor for a warrior

Sara Mathews     January 2021

Alphonse Maria Mucha ~ Woman in the wilderness ~ 1923

Such a hopeful day

While I slept long

The blue seeped in

To every corner

Of the sky

The puffs of white

Arranged just so

And a golden orb

That hung just right

To glow upon each

Upturned soul

And the earth sang out

In choruses

Of bird and tree 

And we

Rejoicing 

Rejoicing

Sara Mathews     January 2021

Edvard Munch ~ The Sun ~ 1909

 

Take in the night

Tuck it under your wing

Stir the embers

Of those you miss

As the stars prick your memories

And the moon swells

Brimming like an uncaught tear

Up and over

Full of all your longing

It sails clear the web of cloud

The tangled tree

And tops the sky 

Take the light

Hold it hot in your palm

 It promises something

Sara Mathews     December 2020

Artwork by Duy Huynh (used with permission)

https://www.duyhuynh.com/
 

I hold my breath

For many things

Warm blue skies 

And graceful landings

Paths that lead 

Without deceit

Healing nights 

Of truthful sleep

Winds that sing without regret

And gentle rains of welcome wet

I wish for goodness to prevail

For hearts to swell 

And love to bind

For greener earth

And seas pristine

For minds to grow 

To full mankind

Sara Mathews   November 2020

Perhaps you didn’t notice

How I slipped away on the wind

Spinning wildly

A gleam in my eye

With the first hint of ice

I caught fire

I doubt you will find me

In all my forest conspiracy

Soft hollows

And dusk

Unclaimed shadow

I will disappear to the depth

Winnow down in the soul of it

And weep

As only the wind can

 Sara Mathews     October 2020

Artwork: Pamela R Tarbell (used with permission)

https://www.pamtarbell.com/

I dove into reflection

Shattering the surface

So cold and motionless

It beckoned me

Taunted me

Dared me

And I couldn’t turn away

I looked too long

Lost in memories 

Swirling up beneath the innocent façade

I held my breath

My faith

And went wholeheartedly

I slipped the silver skin 

And never caused a ripple

So anxious as it was to swallow me

And there I rocked in arms

Of mothers

Gone ahead of me

I cried a thousand colors

A thousand splintered suns

A thousand fragments

Of my history

Sara Mathews     August 2020

Artwork ~ Jennifer Mujezinovic  

Listen to the morning
The soft tears
Drop on willing ears
The little violet
Sighs it’s deepest blue
Blossoms weep with sympathy
The birds are solemn
With concern
And clouds surround
In whispered mists of empathy
The hush of time
The reticence of sun
Have all conspired
To blur the hour
The moment stops
It’s onward tread
The wind breathes soft
As lullabies
To comfort you
And the gray and sorrowed skies
Are quiet as a loving friend




Sara Mathews     May 2020
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
~ For Judy