Curious

I was born

with questions in my mouth.

Why do wolves howl?

What do bees dream?

Will I ever be held

the way that the ocean's depths

hold secrets?

***

I pressed my hands

into the cool dirt of every mystery,

removed them to find earth under my nails,

ink on my palms,

and a smile I still cannot explain.

***

They tried to tell me:

not everything needs to be known.

But how could I keep from exploring

when every whisper of the wind,

every caw of the crows,

every daisy's petal,

tells me there is more.

***

They tried to tell me:

Pandora's jar is just Eden's apple

wearing a new name -

blooming only sorrow,

but can we really know the light

without the dark?

***

Hope was the last thing breathing.

She was caught in the looking glass,

unable to speak,

and I thought her reflection

looked an awful lot

like me.

Participant's Poems