True North Poem by Alla Bozarth

This evening on the telephone, I heard
a grace-note saying, told by the master chef
of a volunteer mobile Mercy kitchen.
From hurricane disaster relief in the deep, deep south
to northern cities' streets of destitution, he speaks
the same truth: "Some things are right and some things
are wrong, and some things are just different."

With such refreshment one might recall
the many options of opinion, render a choice
less personal, more open. One might find courage
to try something new and once dismissed by the mind.
One might fall in love or try to make the world right
as a crusader of consciousness would, through understanding.
One might pause before chasing away the presumed nuisance
and thereby missing an insight~brushing challenge from the mind
as one brushes the teeth to prevent decay, for that would have been a wrong analogy.

One might forget all preconceptions,
such as the foods one likes or dislikes,
and simply move through the line that may transform
the condition of bankruptcy into a banquet,
gratefully taking one's turn at exploring the samples.

One might wed a miraculous partner
who, like some magical firebird, draws us
into flame without being burnt, has such electric
power as to marry all our compass points at once,
and not only be the best thing in our lives,
but lets us feel that we are that best thing, too,
in someone else's life.


This poem is from the book Diamonds in a Stony Field by Alla Renée Bozarth, copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved.