All I can do right now
is feel the softness
of the unfolding sheet,
and breathe the freshness
of its herbal scent.
All I can do is to watch
the plants in the sink
come back to life
as they are drenched with water
from the mineral-rich earth.
All I can do is listen
to the frogs and crickets,
and watch the fireflies
glow yellow, green and orange
around my head.
All I can do is admire
the gracefully twisting bamboo
in the kimono vase,
and know that beauty
surrounds me at all times.
All I can do is pick up
fallen limbs in my yard,
and be grateful
that I can lift them
and carry them to the pile.
All I want to do,
all I wish I had done,
all I fear not ever doing,
imprison me behind
a wall of despair,
and so all I can do is wonder
at the dragonfly on my fence
as it spreads iridescent wings
and, with thousands of lenses,
observes my fear.
Diane Elayne Dees lives in Covington, Louisiana, just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. Though known as a poet, she has also written her share of fiction and creative nonfiction. Diane also publishes Women Who Serve, a blog that delivers news and commentary on women’s professional tennis throughout the world.