Elizabeth Padillo Olesen Poems

Ring the bells!
Play the drums!
Turn on all the lights!
And let the music sound!
...

You are shot dead for pilfering a sack of rice
and they call you a thief, a robber,
...

Visit this river, this silent river of life
See its secrets hidden in the deepest bottom
Measure its height, its width and breadth
And know that you are before a river of silence
...

Enough of your weapons
To window power and arrogance!
Enough of your words of justice
to defend the defenseless!
...

Dance in the night
and enter into the world of dreams,
where mermaids invite sailors
and angels guide travellers.
...

The wheels rolled on
passing by fields and valleys,
bridges and silent rivers.
We spoke without words
...

"Why are you crying, " asks the parrot high up on a tree.
The little mouse hides her face and sips the tears from her eyes.
"Something sharp has entered into my eyes, " she says.
...

If I lived in riches as a child
with servants all around
to attend all my needs,
I wouldn’t have learned
...

There are times in our life
when we find ourselves
wandering in a wilderness,
in a harsh and thirsty land,
...

Filling, flowing, emptying, birthing
A cycle of seasons
Connected to nature's
Resting, growing and cleansing.
...