Terracotta Urns Poem

"Terracotta Urns"

I learned to forgive myself
for times I fell
for poisoned promises of love

My heart ached, knowing
time would come
to collect my tainted dreams

I stopped fighting.

I found renewal
in the sweetwater of my tears,
unclenched fright from my fist.

Ma assured me
it was okay
to scatter those ashes by the river.

My mind soon followed in surrender,
loveless thoughts
carried off
in a whispered wind

as I promised to grow quiet and malleable,
to be shaped by the unknown,
choosing to mold myself
in soul-time,

finding respite
in communion
with ancestral wisdom.

And they rejoiced.

My spirit has been alchemized
in fire and tribulation.
My soft clay skin
hardened into resilience,

and I shine
as if polished
by purpose herself.

Despite those feathered heartbreaks,
I stand sturdily,
tall, brown, and rhythmic in form,
imprinted by the touch of God,

like a thousand urns of terracotta.

I am still sustaining life.

And the love in my heart
remains formidable,
in bloom.

— Sol