Body Language

My beloved on the beach in Oregon, with seaweed

1.

I will take your feet first,
your body’s back-handed rememberings,
toes curling in the dust of an old path
where everyone has walked:
do they hear ancient messages in the soil?
does the earth give you strength
when you walk on it?
may I touch the place where your heart
begins, here…?

2.

A banner in the field, a blue scroll furling
and floating, your name:

Beloved.

Joanna Wiebe, 1984