Love Changes Us

and when he left

and I held the balance

of living in my hands alone

in a box canyon

where the meadow met the forest

at the base of the mesa

miles from nowhere

where mountain lion screamed

elk bugling while

hawk soared

coyote howled in the llano

and the wind blew with certainty

in forests, on mountains

and in thick creek understory

I stood at night

beneath the starlit dome

and held onto the moon

for her constancy, until

I found my own

while all before me

shape-shifted and transformed

salt tears aligned me

with my truth, fearsome

courage held me fast

to face myself as ruthless

honesty and authenticity

arose like cream to the top of the milk

thick and rich

fattening my starved wild woman’s soul

this new journey as certain as I knew –

the moon waxes and wanes,

the stars hang in the heavens,

the seasons come and go.

Kat

27 February 2017