Common Dream I and Other Poems

By Jo Bower

Common Dream I

On a gray day
I forget who I am
Or who I was
When I last walked with you

the art of gathering
I want to collect
all who are dear to me
inhale your mingling
pungent smells
listen to your
wise words
one by one
dropping from the sky
shiny silver coins
each one destined
to find its niche
far beyond my own heart’s reach

Common Dream II

You are far from me
my wisest teachers
my forever friends
I walked through your smiles
exhaled through your words
lived in our common dream

Your words return to me
faint echoes, reminding me of 
our hardest days
our most joyous days
they all remain like cherished jewels
I hold them lightly
I hold them alone
then I let them go: 
they are
wild birds taking flight
to bless 
the lands
I have yet to taste
to bless
the words
I have yet to write

Friends, you are 
still with me
lifting my soul
beckoning me to 
fly fearlessly
for many seasons
to come

Our Last Day

I am so weary
chasing life
like an errant firefly
fleeing the glass bottle
racing through the grass
fleeing time itself

I don’t want to 
miss a moment
clothed in
the skein of the sky
coiling clouds
running raindrops
tearing at the fabric of life

don’t want this
awesome summer day
of heated ribbon roads
and dense underbrush 
growing close by
to pass unnoticed

I never want this wild freedom
to be replaced by
an adjustable bed 
a postage stamp 
view of the grass
where the only sound is
the click of a doorknob closing

I am exhausted
from holding life so tight
even as disease knocks
an unwelcome but
inevitable guest

no one invited it
but here, at the end
night draws her curtain
gently and low
across what could be our last day

Jo Bower, 67, is a lifelong activist and writer, ever passionate about
the natural world, healing through authentic human connections, the
New England coast and the mountains and rivers of Vermont. Jo
graduated in 1976 from Kalamazoo College (MI) and earned her MSW from
Boston University School of Social Work in 1985. She has received
numerous recognitions and awards for her work in disability rights and
organizational change. Jo recently moved to Vermont to dedicate
herself to writing full-time and camping throughout the Green
Mountains. She lives in East Montpelier with her partner and pesky cat
June Bug. Jo’s other hobbies include knitting and engaging in
community advocacy. Find her on FB: (20+) Jo Bower | Facebook