"...to carry away memories brought for the forgetting
on one thousand one auspicious origami birds
whispering over chilled salmon, ripe fruit
suggesting the fertility of the afternoon."
from the poem, "One thousand one wedding cranes" 1998
I AM BIG
I am big
my legs stand against the sky
my feet make their way thru mountain peaks
I throw handfuls of stars into the heavens
I massage the heart beat of the earth
with the rhythm of my walk
i am strong
i pleasure at my image in the ocean
i shawl my shoulders with clouds
cover my hips with rain storms
the sun freckles my back
and i shadow the mushroom and fern
i am in the middle of life
neither new nor finished
the color rises in my cheeks with the sun
my skin is smooth across firm muscles
my eyes are mountain ponds
clear and open
my voice is heard in the call of the eagle
i am serpentine
i stand steady with myself
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© Sharon Lopez Mooney, “I Am Big”, originally published in Young Ravens Literary Review, Issue #17, eds. Sarah Page and Elizabeth Pinborough, December 2022, USA, https://www.youngravensliteraryreview.org/yr17-sharon-