ordinary – a poem by Diane Roberson Douiyssi

ordinary

you lay 
     down,
    swirl your 
     fingertips 
        in the cool 
          stream— 
       surrounded 
       by water,
          you want 
              to dissolve 
     into droplets, 
         melt into 
         brilliant sun, 
            diamonds in a 
               stream— 
               yet you 
                 stay 
               clay,
         heavy,
           waterlogged,
                     waiting for 
                    the flame 
                 that will 
                 turn the 
                wet dirt 
                    into a 
                  vessel 
                     of light 

            the moon 
           is hiding, 
            the dark
                 howls—
                   you have to 
                       quiet your 
                         own thrumming
	     quaver to 
                            hear the 
                            whispers 

                           i am here 
                           too 
                   i reside not 
                      only in 
                        the stars
                            or 
       the magic 
                of blossoms
                  or the 
                  dance of 
                  letters swirled 
                     into gold 

                i am here too 
         among the 
            ordinary—
          in the baked clay 
                that tastes 
             bitter as 
               it touches 
          your lips

             i house the 
               unseen 
                miracles 
                  of breath
                  
            come visit 
              me, i'll 
       spread a colorful 
        cloth, welcome 
         you in, welcome 
            you back 
             to your own 
             enchanted self

Diane Roberson Douiyssi is a poet and writer currently living near the earth and peoples that nourish the world in South Dakota in the United States. She’s a lifelong writer who received her B.A. from Grinnell College. Her poems have appeared in Pasque Petals, song of ourself, and World Lives, Prairie Living. She’s founder of Inner Wisdom Wayfinding, where she hosts writing workshops and mentors women who want to tell their stories.