Poems from Mary May

HEY, BUNNY LOVER!

This month, I wrote poems about fast friends, a girl’s metamorphosis, my love for rain, waiting for flowers, a contemplative practice, bartending, my husband’s squirrel friend, parties, and our annual egg hunt. I also included a poem about my first Easter with my daughters, Maggie and Mollie. One of the reasons I write poems is to help me find clarity, gratitude, and joy. I hope there’s a little of that leftover for you too. — Mary May

P.S.
At the end of this letter, I provide you with a link to visit the Easter page on our website if you’d like to take a peek at how we celebrate our holiday. Please use any ideas you like.

THE EGG HUNT

You’ve been so many things to me
in this long and cherished life
but nothing delights me quite like
you the Easter Bunny

I’ve watched through windows for decades
as you crouch under bushes
and tiptoe through flower beds
to find the perfect hiding places

I’ve snapped photo after photo
of the mayhem
and you with your whistle
trying to impose order on this melee

and when the last colored egg is found
there you stand with your bunny ears
surrounded by children and grandchildren
all counting their haul and recounting their battle

of all the things you’ve given me
these memories are among the sweetest
thank you, my dear Easter Bunny

PURIFIED BY RAIN

Perhaps it was lazy poets
who made you this sad thing
just because pain
was an easy rhyme to rain

I suspect it was them who made you trite
always “washing away”
some dismal this or that
with worn out “tears from heaven”

But I do not forget
you are holy water
that life itself depends on you
that you nourish an entire planet

I do not forget
the gods themselves

sent thunder and lightening
to announce your coming

sacred rain
how can your grandeur
ever be reduced
to bleakness and gloom

it is us — not you
we are the grey and desolate
with our reverent pleas
on bended knees
until at last
we are kissed
by your raindrops

and our dismal this and that
is washed away
with tears from heaven

SEEKING SUNLIGHT

Each day
I check the dirt
and study my flower beds
for signs of life

It’s silly that I worry
the flowers might be gone now
like so much of pandemic life
masked
distanced
locked away

this morning
the first green shoots appear
I sigh with relief
like so much of life
renewed
hopeful
and seeking the sun’s light

how could I ever have taken for granted
the mystery and miracle
of a growing flower

METAMORPHOSIS

Watching you
reminds me
when it was my turn
to wriggle free

blaming
arbitrary rules
unfair expectations
overbearing parents

all that time
I never knew
it was simply
evolution’s uprising

no one warned me
we all take our turn
to writhe against childhood
until we smash it into
shards of tea sets
broken unicorns
and dismembered dolls

no one warned me
we are compelled
to topple the girl they built
so we can pick up the pieces
and build our own

pick up the pieces and build your own

DAILY COMMUTE

there is an entire life
and a whole world
inside me

as deep and wide
as mysterious and vast
as the one outside

sprinkled with memories and myths
the source of wisdom
the seat of virtue

this inner universe
is my true home
unveiling my true self

when the noise and chaos

unsettle my peace

I go inside to the
silent stillness
where my mind falls into my heart

THE SQUIRREL

I notice, after over forty years of squirrels
this is the first one you haven’t named
maybe because you love her too much already

when you rescued this baby
after that tragic fall from the nest in our tree
I thought surely she would die

she healed too weak for a life in the air
you helped her make a home under our deck
where she’s lived for two years now

everyday she comes to our door to thank you
her tiny squirrel heart filled with gratitude
or maybe it’s just the walnuts you feed her

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

I measure time in parties
knowing there are just eight more
until your seat at my table
will be empty for good
our weekly rendez-vous ended
as middle school begins

I measure love in kisses
knowing there are just eight more
as your bouncing backpack
runs off with you to that other world
where grown-ups live
and magic is just pretend

I measure life in memories
knowing there are just eight more
to sew into your quilt
hoping they will warm you
across space and time

when I can not

I hope they help you remember
to always measure time in parties

BARTENDER

Each Spring, I become a bartender

nonchalantly topping the glasses of my patrons

chatting them up with compliments

and encouraging words

I am here to serve their beverage of choice

these five little vases of daisies

lined up on my window sill

as they sip and smile at me from their barstools

my man asks me what I’m up to

I confess I’m hoping

if I make them feel welcome

and if the drinks are free

maybe they’ll stick around

till closing time

RESURRECTION

Even before you were born
I felt like you were somewhere

waiting to be with me

our first Easter
together
maggie just three
mollie four weeks

bunnies, chicks, and tiny eggs

nestled in easter grass
atop your little paper plate bonnets
so much to celebrate
renewal
new life
my very own little family

here at last
me a mother
living Easter

thank you for this unspeakable joy

WONDERING?

If you’re wondering what got me started writing poems, you’ll find the story here. Or, if you’re wondering why this collection is called Slender Stalk, click here. If you’re wondering where you can read more of my poems, check out my website: Life at 240.

If you know someone who you think would enjoy these poems, please feel free to forward this email to them. If you’re reading my poetry letter for the first time, you can subscribe here to get ten poems emailed to you at the beginning of each month.

A PEEK AT OUR EASTER

One of the obligations I’ve taken on as The Granny, is the role of memory-keeper. When time allows, I try to archive photos, stories, recipes, and events from our family’s Easter so they will be able to look back and remember the happiness we made for each other. I still have a lot to post, but I’ve got a good start. If you’d like to take a peek, you can check it out by clicking here. Happy Easter. - mary may