Plum and Cherry Blossoms Moon

New Moon  February 17, 2026

‍

Dance!

Although suffering is endless,

why suffer over it?

Although our world is burning,

why reject it?

Since we only experience life,

why fear death?

Although there is nothing behind it,

why refuse to dance?

          —Thom Lane

‍

‍

I dream I am an orphan
in need of an organ
the sky oversees the transplant

Empathic distress, angry as curse words
irate as a buzz, sad as a razor
these eyes are ours for the seeing

I cross my heart & hope to smell the creek
still living, breathing, speaking, I’m listening
at the north edge of an earlier empire

I don’t want to forget how good it could be
& I’m hard-pressed to dial down how bad
here we are, blooming among blossoms

Also I am madly knitting courage
ephemeral spring warmth in late winter
the fiber of my love lives in other people

May I say again
how utterly gorgeous
& heartbreaking

you are.

‍