All the Heavens Are in My Chest

A brand new exclusive to Substack poem

Lilacs always look like tiny, fragrant stars to me

May - with its crisp greens and ever-unfolding kaleidoscope of snow white phlox, pale bluebells, indigo bearded irises, creamy pink rhododendrons, sherbet colored azaleas, and many more blooms whose names and hues I’m still lovingly learning by heart - calls for poetry.

Always in search of new approaches to composing verses, I’ve enjoyed diving back into poet Joseph Fasano’s wonderful poetry prompt book, The Magic Words, which I did a short video and post about earlier in the year. The poem below was inspired by his prompt for a poem that reads like an affirmation of sorts, and although it turned out differently than I imagined when I began writing it, it feels fitting that a finished poem should feel like a bit like a surprise, even to the poet.