Elegy to Palm Fronds

Palm fronds represent peace, resilience, and divine presence.
~ Marcy Knight of miamiarch.org

When my dead come to me

in three separate dreams in one week,

ghosts I consider to be guardian angels,

those I consult for advice, whose photos

I nod to: hello, Adam; hello, Daddy; hello. Jamelle;

this time I look away, and say no.

Avoid their eyes, their outstretched hands.

Say, no, it’s not my time to go

with you. If you want to bring me

comfort, ease the nausea, shrink the tumor. I have

too much left to do. O dead. Come to me

this time as sky. Give me signs of life,

and I look up: see a yellow-vested tree trimmer dangling

high above my head from straps between my neighbor’s

three palm trees, tossing cut fronds like green wings

fluttering, wafting through air to the ground.

Susan Vespoli believes in the power of writing to heal and stay sane. She teaches poetry and Wild Writing on 27powers.org and writers.com. Her poems have been published in The Poetry Distillery, ONE ART: a journal of poetry, New Verse News, Anti-Heroin Chic, Rattle, and other cool spots. Susan Vespoli - Author, Poet