by Tina Kelley

 

May it have the smart scent
of fingersweat and typewriter.

May the song of yes
get stuck in your head
but only in a good way,

and may you hear the peace
of the beagle stopped barking,
the silence like a casserole.

Your muse will have the composure
and fertility of a well-mated queen bee.

If I told you that whales understand
baby squeals, would you believe?

Prayer has a hot and wet summer ahead,
so may your worries be as flimsy
as state park toilet paper.

May your Wednesday have all the calm hush
of this word: grazing
and this one: solace.

Did you know your soul is refilled
a quarter inch every time you hear
the shushing of a man raking leaves?

May your dog like you so much
he dislocates his tail upon waking,
and may trees be for you
very-much a cathedral.

Text yourself a heart.
See how good it feels.
Sending, getting.

May you end your night with a list
of gratitudes, may it grow. End your day
in dayenu. One item alone would’ve sufficed.

 

 

 

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Tina Kelley’s Rise Wildly appeared in 2020 from CavanKerry Press, joining Abloom & Awry, Precise, and Washington State Book Award winner The Gospel of Galore. She’s reported for The New York Times, written two nonfiction books, and won 2023 and 2025 NJ State Council on the Arts Finalist awards. Tina can be found on X @tinakelley, Facebook: tina.kelley.writer, and on Instagram @tinakelleywriter.