"Rose of Jericho" by Cindy Veach

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend August 8, 2017   Rose of Jericho   Cindy Veach

I'm not sure about this gift. This tangle of dried roots curled into a fist. This gnarl   I've let sit for weeks beside the toaster and cookbooks on a bed of speckled granite.   What am I waiting for? Online I find Rose of Jericho prayers and rituals for safe birth,   well-being, warding off the evil eye. At first I thought I'd buy some white stones,   a porcelain bowl. But I didn't and I didn't. I don't believe in omens. This still fist   of possibility all wrapped up in itself. There it sat through the holidays, into the New Year.   Through all the days I've been gone. Dormant. But today, in an inch of water,   out of curiosity, I awakened the soul of Jericho. Limb by limb it unfolded   and turned moss green. It reminded me of the northwest, its lush undergrowth,   how twice despite the leaden clouds, the rain, I found happiness there.   From tumbleweed to lush fern flower, reversible, repeatable. And what am I   to make of this? Me, this woman who doesn't believe. Doesn't take anything on faith. I won't   let it rot. I'll monitor the water level. Keep the mold at bay. I tend things, but I do not pray.            Copyright © 2017 Cindy Veach. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   "The Rose of Jericho plant, also called resurrection plant, has spawned many religious legends and is considered a talisman for health, wealth, luck, and more. Consequently, this little plant carries a heavy load. I've always found it curious how humans yearn to know the future, wish for more than this and believe in miracles. In this poem the speaker confronts the plant and it confronts her. While she is amazed at its ability to transform itself, for her it only resurrects place-based memories. Still, she feels she owes it something and promises to care for it." —Cindy Veach   Cindy Veach is the author of Gloved Against Blood, forthcoming from CavanKerry Press in November of 2017. She manages fundraising programs for nonprofit organizations and lives in Manchester, Massachusetts. Poetry by Veach   Gloved Against Blood (CavanKerry Press, 2017) "Hibiscus on the Lake" by Chavali Bangaramma "There Is a Bird in My Mouth" by Natalie Scenters-Zapico "The Epistemology of Rosemary" by Geffrey Davis Help Support Poem-a-Day   If you value Poem-a-Day, please consider a monthly donation or one-time gift to help make it possible. Poem-a-Day is the only digital series publishing new, previously unpublished work by today's poets each weekday morning. The free series, which also features a curated selection of classic poems on weekends, reaches 450,000+ readers daily. Thank you! Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038