A thank you note

The kindness of strangers, indulgences of friends.

Someone who comes in from the very ends

of the earth, hands me a gift; and someone

else who doesn’t come in but still sends me tokens

of appreciation.  Books, and poems,

a frame, questions, an image of strings.

Grateful for all I receive, each of these things.

The intangible ways this wide universe

marks my doorstep.  I thank her with this verse.

You may think it’s nothing, a few coffee mugs,

the pile flattened in certain places on my rugs;

a badge here or there, pasted on the sidebar,

a guest’s shadow fallen on my walls, the arc

of a note straddling oceans. On my shoulder

the blessing of an unseen friend’s hand always.

The smiles of strangers threaded through my days.

The invisible ways this wide universe

wraps me tight and quiet. I thank her with this verse.

An incredible amount of happy things, small and momentous, have happened in May so far, and more is expected, which will keep me off the blog till next Monday. Thank you to those who have 'marked my doorstep', you know who you are, thank you to the ones who sent the books and badges and poems my way, and thank you to the one who's arranging the fun.  You know who you are too! My heart is on its knees, with folded hands :)