To An East Coast Poet Poem by Uriah Hamilton

East coast poet,
If you have fallen, you have fallen
From a heavenly place
To bring enlightenment
To the ordinary spaces
In which mortals live
With such tenderness and longing
But for which they are lacking
The ability to adequately express
Those wondrous and life-giving emotions.

But you breathe life and hope
Into all their gentle caresses;
You illuminate the way
Little girls and mothers
Wear their dresses;
You document
The heartbreak of unkindness
And the failure of appreciation
Between people in hurtful relationships.

Here in the Midwest, I have fallen in love
With red roses trailing white picket fences;
But neither the roses nor the fences belong to me,
But if I ever meet you, I will at least steal the roses
And place them in your lap.

Tonight, I will dream of your mother’s finger
Entwining your hair when you were only a small girl;
And if I step into the moonlight, I’m certain I’ll cry.