Sunday Morning

By: Erik Rittenberry

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

Woke up Sunday morning to the ancient 
sound of the birds chirping outside 
my window. Laid there half-naked 
in a mess of sheets listening to 
her breathe. Her hair pours off 
the pillow. The taste of her love 
still lingers on my tongue.

Maybe I’ll attempt a poem today.
Or perhaps she and I will tote a bottle
of wine down by the pond
and read a little Steinbeck in the shade
of a sycamore and forget about
it all. 

The archaic eyes of a bearded Whitman
gaze down at me from a painting
on the wall.

I get out of bed quietly and shuffle
into the backyard. Barefoot and alive.
The black coffee in a cracked porcelain
mug stirs the blood. The golden liquid 
rays of the renewed sun pierce through 
the thirty-foot bamboo stalks that I 
planted a few years ago.

It’s springtime in the south and the breeze
feels good on my face. The crape myrtles
and magnolias are blooming. The cardinals
and blue jays flutter around the birdfeeder
as I watch the mischievous squirrels
creep ever so closer. The fresh jasmine
fills the morning with a sweet fragrance.
Daydreams and budding flowers.
Fresh dew glistens on the ferns and
philodendrons as my pooch
chases lizards in the
damp grass.

The flawless symphony of creation, the
eternal throb of life, my spirit 
drenched with an undisturbed joy,
a rare contentment. My ornery impulses
at ease, along with my ego. My countless
vices have succumbed to a natural 
innocence. Yesterday’s qualms are 
forgotten. The future is of no concern.
The bloodstain of history is far from 
my mind. Not a drab or dreary 
thought arises. Ambition is 
absurd. Death is a lie. 
I hear the words of Rumi 
wafting in the soft 
morning light,   
The breeze at dawn 
has secrets
to tell you. Don’t 
go back to 
sleep.

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