Genetic Memory

from Out With Lanterns

                         ~ after Maggie Smith	

Explains how I know scarcity and 
toes freezing from winter snow,
how I know bearded iris tubers
and how to find a snapdragon's voice box.  
How I can smell deep grief,
and how I know that the Golden Gate Bridge
can be navigated to by the stars. 
I know how to forgive and how to
give up when it all seems too hard,
how to drown it all in a bottle
that offered such silky promise. 
I know a dog’s devotion is real,
a horse’s wisdom far outweighs ours,
and that when it comes down to it,
the best thing to do, despite everything,
is to gather us all together for a meal. 
I know sickness of the heart, of the mind,
and came here knowing that 
animals in dreams are spirits 
arriving to share something important. 
Last night it was a lion again,
but not chasing me this time because 
I’ve added to my bloodline: abundance.
I’ve added how to break cycles. 

Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash