The New Sun

Cynthia West Says 'Kneeling I Retrieve Shattered Shards Glue Them Together. If I Can Stick Even One Piece To Another I Have A Poem. It Is Bread. . . . To Write Poetry I Memorize Suffering'S Names Visit The Wounds No Stitches Can Hide Gather Stories In My Pain Bag Until It Bursts. Love Aches If It Isn'T Told. . . . My Words Are Small Round Circles Elm Seeds Designed To Inhabit Cracks. They Sprout Growing Leaves That Call Water Roots That Hold Earth Shade That Shelters Fruit. . . . I Lean Over The Stream Holding A Tin For Panning Gold Allow Water To Wash Away The Mud Until The Sun Flashes On Wet Metal. . . . Kneeling I Retrieve Shattered Shards Glue Them Together. If I Can Stick Even One Piece To Another I Have A Poem. It Is Bread.'