Poems inspired by the artwork of Catrin Welz-Stein , a German artist who lives in Zürich

Rock a Bye Baby in the Treetop

oh look!
the fingernail moon
is hanging in the treetop
let’s climb up
and sit next to her
swinging our legs
and singing at the top of our lungs
to drown out the chorus of crickets
then you, in your best apron,
and me, with my patch pockets,
will gather the sharp pointed stars
and string them together
with red yarn and spiders silk
to wrap around us
as we sleep in the fragrant cedar boughs
wreathed in the Milky Way
and spangled with stars

I’ll Fly Away, O Glory, I’ll Fly Away

her first inkling
was her scalp tingling
as her hair rose
as if blown in a soft breeze

it became more apparent
that something was amiss
when her hair would stand on end
as if in a gust of wind

she braided it tight
in six stout braids
wrapping them around her head
in a crown

but they would shake loose
to rise skyward
on their own accord

then, one day,
she felt
gravity give way
just a touch
loosening her heels
and losing her shoes
she dug her toes
into the dirt
holding tight to the roots of the trees

but the day came
when the inevitable was upon her
when even he could not hold her to the earth

her face set resolutely
to whatever was ahead

skyward

she

rose