Living Tree Poetry

I wrap joy around me today,
as a talisman.
A cloak of entitlement
worn to claim my place here,
to gird my strength.

Joy, which is not a reward
for good labour,
or questions answered right –
but a first port of call,
a threshold from which I step.

A river into which I merge.
Feel the rocks and follow.
Determine the clear path,
and like the current,
learn to flow.

And all that would disturb me
I move through
as though co-cooned,
white noise like the rush of rapids,
water vapour above the stream.

Yes, I wrap joy around me,
more than a fleeting gift,
or a prize to retrieve at the end,
but a garment of endless praise,
a way to meet the day.

Ana Lisa de Jong
Living Tree Poetry
February 2018

‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’
Nehemiah 8:10