February 2024
Carol Alena Aronoff
ca.aronoff@hawaiiantel.net
Bio Note: I am a poet, retired psychologist and teacher who lives in rural Hawaii, meditating in nature, working the land and writing. I have published 6 full-length poetry collections and 4 chapbooks and my poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. I was twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was a finalist in the Common Ground Spiritual Poetry contest judged by Jane Hirshfield.

This ache

the earth knows
deep in stubborn rocks 
that moan with the cracking

Dead branches hovering
dangerously, fractured limbs
pointing to dry riverbeds

a drought of imagination
unwillingness to spell peace 
or conjure compassion

There is a question here
in the heart, a leaden, lumpish
discontent, a reckoning to come

if we continue to set apart salmon 
berries, owls, crumbling bridges– or 
forget to cherish difficult relations

Peace Resolution

Ask me what matters
How well have I loved

Ask me why stars cry
Why rivers run away

Ask for the lonely
the wounded, oppressed

Eat pomegranate seeds
and pray for the fruit

Pray no one else will 
know the hurting

That fruit will ripen
instead of bombs

Pray that hearts like 
flowers will open 

Pray that no one else 
will die

Beauty in Imperfection

Like snow melt on a soon to be
spring day, let your heart dissolve 
its doubt and worry until all that’s 
left is love overflowing.

Or, if you prefer, imagine butter left 
out in sun, ice in a glass of summer 
soda, whatever makes you think of
of letting go, surrender. On days when 

I feel like a broken vase spilling tears 
that taste of loss, of what’s missing, 
I think of kintsugi, the art of embracing
imperfection– filling in each crack with 

gold, seeing beauty in our flaws, 
meaning in our brokenness. When I find 
footprints left by trauma, wounds closed 
over yet still sore, if I can touch them 

with compassion, appreciate their 
value, the wisdom lying dormant 
at their core will blossom, turn 
them into precious scars.
©2024 Carol Alena Aronoff

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