Miraculum
Words by Janis Taylor
Glenwood Springs
Will I ever forget
Shoveling manure
Into grandma’s garden
Tying parallel strings
Scooping out soil in
Careful, straight lines?
Mother placed an envelope
Containing corn kernels
In small skeptical hands
That hovered over a
Mound of mud
While worries blurred
Through my brain,
Eyes stared in disbelief
At shriveled seeds and soil,
Agonizing as gentle fingers
Pushed improbable purple triads
One point five inches underground
Too deep to feel sun?
Will shallow waters
Wash them away?
What about distance
From the ditch?
Can seedlings grow
Upside down or
Sideways?
How long before
They discover my
Mistakes?
I faked nonchalant
Indifference to mask
My fears.
I noted bare ground as
Each day passed
Until at last
Joy burst through in
Bright green leaves.
The Unforgettable Laugh
By Deborah Holt Williams
Glenwood Springs
His laugh never dies.
In moments and memories
His laugh hikes through time.