In awe we watched the flower exist 
in its moonlight–a funnel of petal, white
as paper waiting for a word.
Along its vine, seed pods bulged–
round like my belly, that summer
when the baby inside me slept
no better than his brand new parents
in the humid heat of our little home.
So we walked, seeking breeze, and happened
upon a moment whose essence
became part of our story as much
as the preceding springtime’s wedding
and our son’s birth the following fall.
It’s a page I open to again and catch
a glimpse of us holding hands. A new planet
quivers and swells beneath my t-shirt.
We’re engulfed in a universe, unknown
as yet, and sweltering
when within our dark uncertainty sweeps
cool perfume, like a scented invitation
from God–this life, this intimate elixir
could be ours, so we should respond
if we pleased.
— Ramona McCallum
Ramona McCallum earned her B.A. in Creative Writing and Literature from Kansas State University in 1999. She currently lives in Garden City, Kansas with her husband Brian McCallum, a ceramic artist, and their 6 children. Ramona works as her husband’s editor and artist’s assistant, and she also teaches 7th grade English Communication and Poetry at a local middle school. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as Organization and Environment and Zone 3.
The Coop: A Poetry Cooperative 
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