MELANCHOLY

Crawl under the roots of a tree
No one needs you any longer.
You the destined solitary,
You can sleep away the hunger
That is tearing you apart,
Woman with an open heart.

No one’s mother, no one’s child
Living in unsheltered space
Be the stranger reconciled
To the absence of a face,
To the end of family,
Never able to say “we”.

Woman with an open heart,
Close the valve now, dull the beat
Sleep away the stop and start.
You will find enough to eat,
Friendly trees to shelter you
And the ocean often blue.

You will comfort with a word
Others who are lost like you,
You will celebrate a bird,
Sing the song of falling snow
Become balm for every hurt,
Woman with an open heart.