My Heart a Safe Space

I love the music of a lecture next door-
The safety of dry feet,
In from the cold.
A shared bowl of popcorn,
A cranberry scone,
A legacy of dreams had and told.

When someone I love asks me how I’m feeling,
Or the chirp of am email
From an old childhood friend.
It brings joy to my heart,
A compliment to my art,
I’ll never need validation again.

I’m loved when my mother
Demands my attention.
Sacred Being,
I receive her smile gently.

The aroma of incense burning,
Safe within my boyfriend’s warm bedroom
His taste in art and literature,
His off-center, love-laced poetry,
His hands over mine protectively.

I am safe like a ground squirrel
In a hollow Douglas Fir,
I woke up in this space,
Trickling streams
Of unchartable grace.
Love does the work,
We chose the pace.