Maw of Silence by Louisa Muniz

What if things didn’t turn out the way you planned?

When you know better but only sometimes, do you do better?

What if joy finally takes you by the hand & lifts you into

the breath of a bee’s dream?

Don’t ask. See how every living thing

is sprung from the silent maw.

See how every living thing speaks to you

nudging you to listen deeper.

Hear the deep hum coming from the earth.

The dogwood blossoms foam through the trees.

The tulips bow into the muscle of you.

Bend your ear. Hear the language of longing.

The swan in the pond floats straight towards you

nodding, nodding its head saying,

yes, I see you, I see you too. 

---

Louisa Muniz lives in Sayreville, N.J. She holds a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Kean University. Her work has appeared in Tinderbox Journal, Palette Poetry, Menacing Hedge, Poetry Quarterly, PANK Magazine, Jabberwock Review and elsewhere. She won the Sheila-Na-Gig 2019 Spring Contest for her poem Stone Turned Sand. Her work has been nominated for Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize. Her debut chapbook, After Heavy Rains by Finishing Line Press was released in December, 2020.