(dedicated to Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee)
When the leaves are gone,
there is still a tree beneath with the beauty of the silhouette
and the variegated textures and colour of the bark.
Under the grey and stormy clouds,
the sky is a canvas of blue; hues soft, bright, tinted by sunrises or sunsets
or dark, midnight blue with the glimmer of distant lights.
Below the water, the sand and rocky sea-beds expose
treasures with each low tide;
a colourful mosaic of scattered shells, aquatic lifeforms, rocks, driftwood, seaweed,
a colourful mosaic of scattered shells, aquatic lifeforms, rocks, driftwood, seaweed,
and wave-polished glass.
Inside a rough, misshapen orb of characterless stone,
a crack reveals a glittering rainbow;
a hollow displaying a geode of gemlike beauty within.
We animals have minds and souls
of wit, love, beauty and strength within our flesh, fur, feathers, and skin.
Our bones are
strong, our brains brilliantly control our hearts, nerves, senses, and breath;
no matter how our exteriors appear, we are individually beauty and love.
We know when we open a package that the container might
be prettier than the contents. We might not find the hoped-for answer to our
desires within the gift-wrapped box, or the anticipated joy when opening the
item just delivered at our door.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a treasure to be found
within each living thing, each experience, each sight, sound, fragrance, touch,
each new flavour experienced, every new stranger met, or lessons learned.
Open each “Box of Love” with love; Life is full
of wonders to be opened and savoured.
Ronda R. Scott-Marak
© 12 December
2020
