Elizabeth Caldwell Grant

Rise early,
Before the lilac dawn
Condenses
Into the crystalline dew
Splattering your toes.

Walk slow
On rose quartz crunch
To spy
The yodeling warblers
Harmonizing with river jabber, and
Purple blossom petticoats
Under chartreuse lace.

Breathe deep
That sweet gold breeze
Caressing
Your peach fuzz cheek
To the thrum of your
Sun-warmed back.

And listen well
As crickets dit-dah your name, while your
Heart pleads
Beneath the hallelujah sky to
Walk slow,
Breathe deep,
Be still.