Poem by Grace Cavalieri

Koans

Did you know that a tribe in Africa ate dirt with seeds
hoping they would bloom  

Did you hear about the village in China where people
swallowed grains of dry rice with hot water
 
Did you notice the child in Appalachia giving her apple
to the brother who was dying

Did you see the stray cat outside your door at night waiting 
so she could feed her kittens

And do you remember the Prophet who turned
water to wine trusting us to “Fresh fruits, Fresh fields, Fresh grain”

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Grace Cavalieri is Maryland’s Tenth Poet Laureate. She’s written 22 books and chapbooks of poetry; and 26 produced short-form and full-length plays. Her newest poetry publications are The Secret Letters of MMadame de Stael (2021;) and, What The Psychic Said (2020.) Her latest play was “Quilting The Sun,” Theatre for The New City, NYC, 2019. Grace founded and still produces "The Poet and the Poem" on public radio, celebrating 44 years on-air in 2021. The show’s recorded at the Library of Congress and transmitted via Pacifica Network. 

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