by Alicia Ostriker

To be blessed
said the old woman
is to live and work
so hard
God’s love
washes right through you
like milk through a cow

To be blessed
said the dark red tulip
is to knock their eyes out
with the sun of lust
implied by
your up-ended skirt

To be blessed
said the dog
is to have a pinch
of God
inside you
and all the other
dogs can smell it

*

Alicia Ostriker

*

I’ve been hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, often alone, with a guide far ahead.

To be blessed is to see the flag on the trail (which is the guide saying – follow me).

 

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Pepper and Poems

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