Posted on May 15, 2026 by Jenn Zatopek

HOME IS

Look, Texas Spring, how many shades of green can you conjure?
I walk down my favorite block in a river of hope,
entering a celebration of green–

Chartreuse, forest, olive, and emerald–
all pressed up against a deep throated laugh of an opalite sky.
Where has sadness gone? 

Above me cumulus cartwheels like swirling tidal waters,
waves of white rejoicing. To pray is a deep breath of relief and thanks.
I say hello to the kind man at the corner, pulling weeds in his front yard 

and stooped low to the ground, how he flashes an incandescent smile
just for me and offers warmth in his words–
Enjoy your walk!

After, I float back home, uplifted by cool breezes and streamers of green
and the chittering of the Carolina Wren, my heart tuned once again
to the key of wonder, playing in the scale of light.

Image / Uunsplash