On Safety

When the storms of life
come bearing down
threatening to
lash you senseless,
seek shelter.
Find the warm
blanket you caress
like the felted fur
of your cat
curled before
a glowing hearth,
of breath that fills
both heart and earth.
Breathe.
There’s always time
to curse the darkness.
After the tears,
light a honeycomb candle
and heal your own sun.
The bridge
from sorrow to joy
may seem to vanish
in the flood,
but who says you
can’t join those
who cross over,
with a single
braided rope
of gratitude.

From 50/50, an anthology from Quills Edge Press. Posted by kind permission of the poet.

Nadine Pinede

Nadine Pinede is a Haitian-American poet, author, editor, and translator of works for adults and children. She is also Special Projects Editor at Enchanted Lion Books, a publisher of international illustrated books with a playfully subversive flair. In her writing and life, she relishes exploring boundaries. She now lives with her husband and their two Hoosier cats on Belgium’s linguistic border, within sight of a primeval beech forest.

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