Under the paving stones there is the sea
Under the sea there is the earth
Under the earth there is the sky
Under the sky there is my heart

Standing alone
A newborn in a snowdrift
Cold and shivering
Crying for mother
For softness
For comfort
A warm pert nipple
Sustenance and life

A chance to be strong
A chance to be seen
A chance

To be recognized
And respected and
Held tightly
A smooth stone in the palm of a fist
Clenched
Not in anger
But devotion

July 1991
Boulder, Colorado