Finally, Arriving Home
“My solace has always been sculpture.”
– Isamu Noguchi
In Queens, New York, you step forward in the low light
with grey woolen robe and flip flops
You stand in the backyard with hands on hips
Seeing all that is in front of you:
an old tin can, a spare tire, a solitary bicycle.
You discard the stray trash bags,
old, dirt stones, dust filled deckchairs.
You sweep the area clean with careful pace
Creating concentric circles that move gradually outwards
Making their gentle ripple on the earth
You enjoy this silence, before anyone has woken.
The sky stirring pastel blues above your head.
This your new design,
a sanctuary away from the harsh city life.
Your stone sculptures are dotted in the open yard
Find their space apart from one another, yet together.
After sweeping, you stand beside one gray oval stone,
touch both hands to her
and with chisel, tap out slow harmonies.
Your fingers learn the surface with a certain assuredness,
her shape, as she dips and rises.
takes up space on the land
As you sculpt, you see your father with round rimmed glasses, by the pale river.
He was a strong wind that you could never quite hold
Within you – Japan’s simple, clear lines.
The green trees whispering in the mountains.
Silver herring darting through the open water.
You see your mother too with rounded face and mischievous eyes,
Léonie – never content to stay still.
She lifted you up off the cool earthen floor,
held you to her with warmth.
With her, you journeyed, traveling from home to home’
Never quite arriving.
You grew tired, longing for one bed,
one door to arrive in,
– stillness
Now, as the sun rises higher, you pace the backyard,
Sweep both hands over the large stone again,
She holds all your attention.
As you wait for new curves to arrive and take form,
Finally, arriving home.
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Dorothy Johnson-Laird is a poet and social worker who lives in New York City. She holds an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Dorothy also has a passion for African music. She has published music journalism with www.afropop.org and www.worldmusiccentral.org. Recent poems appeared in Aji, Cantos, Pomona Valley Review, and Pedestal Magazine, among others. Her poems were also published in the anthology, Alchemy and Miracles: Nature Woven Into Words. More of Dorothy’s poetry can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083698660157
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Stone Poetry Quarterly 