In the Purple and Blue of It
—From Words Facing East By Kimberly L. Becker
Walking the property
In the late afternoon
In the purple and blue of it
The stand of pines
Fairytale deepness
Past the reservoir
Crunching hulls of black walnuts
Thinking:
This is sacred ground
My eyes devour the view
That I like to claim as mine
But know it’s not, despite the deed
When I return to the anxiety
Of the city
I will long for this land
As a lover for the body of the beloved
I will recall its voice
The trickle of creek
call of hawks
rain as it comes up
the valley
I have seen mesas
Great red tables
Altars for sacrifice
But it is these mountains
I hold against the bruise of my heart
The purple and blue
Of their mothering forms
Purple and
blue
Words Facing East (WordTech
Editions, 2011)
Copyright © Kimberly L. Becker. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born in Georgia, raised in North Carolina,
Kimberly L. Becker is a member of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and
Storytellers and is of Cherokee/Celtic/Teutonic descent. She is the author of
two poetry collections, Words Facing East (WordTech Editions, 2011)
and The Dividings (WordTech Editions, 2014). Individual poems appear
widely in journals and anthologies. Other published writing includes
fiction, essays, reviews, and a series of interviews with other Native writers.
Current projects include adapting traditional Cherokee stories into plays for
the Cherokee Youth in Radio Project at the Cherokee Youth Center in Cherokee,
North Carolina. Kimberly has been awarded grants from the New Jersey State Arts
Council, the Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council (Maryland), as well
as a fellowship to the Hambidge Artist Residency Program in the North Georgia
mountains. She has held an Individual Artist Award in Poetry from the Maryland
State Arts Council and been Writer-in-Residence at Weymouth Center for the Arts
and Humanities (North Carolina). She has been a featured reader at many
venues, including "Native Writers in DC" at the Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American Indian. She is happiest within sight of the mountains.
www.kimberlylbecker.com
www.kimberlylbecker.com