Joy

I have been wondering
what the morning glories
know. Is it envy
that compels these vines
to strangle other flowers
arising in their path?

Or perhaps self-preservation,
to climb these walls, forsaking
humbler beings, winding
greedy stems around the trellis
in their hungry pursuit of light.

Still, every morning,
basking in their spiral shadows,
I want to believe it is something more

this fevered yearning
to open purple flowers,
yield bold-throated Glorias
to the sun,
and in the blaze of afternoon
curl petals softly into shyness.

And every morning, I plead
with the dew-moist buds
to know their secret joy:

to open and close without holding,
to surrender all to light,
to sing
I am completely yours
over and over again.

This poem appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of UU World (page 20). Excerpted with permission from Falling into the Sky: A Meditation Anthology, edited by Abhi Janamanchi and Abhimanyu Janamanchi (Skinner House Books, 2013); available from the UUA Bookstore.

Related Resources

• Falling into the Sky: A Meditation Anthology. Ed. by Abhi Janamanchi and Abhimanyu Janamanchi. Skinner House Books, 2013. (UUA Bookstore)