POETRY FIRST PLACE

Lorraine Venturato

Remember to set the alarm Remember to pay the bill Remember to breathe

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe deep.

Wash your ears and listen

Hear the breath in a rainbow spray as the humpbacks slide on by And 100 breaths from a rock where sea lions bark and play The lullaby sung from the deep, and the squabble of gulls ashore

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe deep.

Wash your eyes and see

See the whale and the wolf and the bear, the urchin, slug, and toad And the forest giants draped in moss and fern and time The tiny sundew on a rock, and the endless shades of green

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe deep.

Wash your ears. Wash your eyes.

Feel the silence and the wind and the quiet decay The relentless life of a thousand salmon dying in a thousand shallow streams And the awe in the chapel of the spirit bear and cathedral of mountain spires

Remember the spray in your face Remember the wild place Remember to breathe

46 | arta. net STAY HEALTHY