the yellow dot

God does what she wants. She has very large

Tractors. She lives at night in the sewing room

Doing stitchery. Then chunks of land at mid-

Sea disappear. The husband knows that his wife

Is still breathing. God has arranged the open

Grave. The grave is not what we want,

But to God it's a tiny hole, and he has 

The needle, draws thread through it, and soon

A nice pattern appears. The husband cries,

"Don't let her die!" But God says, "I

Need a yellow dot here, near the mailbox."

The husband is angry. But the turbulent ocean

Is like a chicken scratching for seeds. It doesn't

Mean anything, and the chicken's claws will tear

A Rembrandt drawing if you put it down.

~ Robert Bly

in memory of Jane Kenyon-

from Morning Poems

art by georgia o'keeffe