Harvest McCampbell, Poetry

The sudden violent moment that is alluded to in the poem below is explored in the previously featured poem Sudden Violence. It refers to a bad car accident; I sustained multiple injuries and have been left with lingering disabilities. You will find links to more poetry below and on the Credits and Words pages.

Credits

Digging the Dirt

In Print

Forever Changed

1. Fly Free

i remember
falling
falling
falling
into your embrace
kisses sweeter than sugar
the tenderness in your touch

i remember
the heat rising
our passion
forging something
that never quite
came into being

i remember
wanting to let you go
wanting to turn you loose
wanting to give you back
to the wind

i remember
and find myself
holding this thin thread
at a great distance
i watch a kite
fly free

2. My Line

before you hung up
you implored
call me
in a tone i have
never heard you use

call me
used to be
my line

3. Arrive

you want to know
if i am still
waiting for you

yes i say

and wonder if
it is only because
i think you will
never really
arrive

4. Peace Peace Peace

i ask only this
do not disturb
my peace

5. Trust

i am thinking
about you

i am thinking
about us

i don’t have
any answers

i don’t even know
if i have any
trust

6. Sweet Love

please
don’t bring
expectations

there was that
sudden violent
moment

and i am still
forever changed

Copyright 7/21/07 Harvest McCampbell

Kudos

Poetry

Words

Note:

The poetry on this page may be rotated from time to time. For information on posting or publishing this series or any of Harvest's writing please contact her by e-mail: harvest95546@yahoo.com

Links to more of Harvest's writing can be found below, and on the Credits and Words page.

More Poetry:

Red Circle is my most popular poem. It was first published in the spring of 1996 in the Red Voices newsletter, published by AITI in Sacramento CA. Since that time, whenever I am introduced in a group of Native people, someone invariably asks me if I am the Harvest McCampbell that wrote Red Circle. This poem has touched many people and lives a life of its own. Please feel free to share it.

Where Red Fish Still Swim was Published by UCLA's Indigenous Peoples Journal of Law, Culture & Resistance.

The Autumn Leaves web site features a number of my poems, here is an example:
We will Go On. You will find a link near the bottom of the page that will take you to more of my poetry.

Here’s a little poetry news:

Everything I need to know, I learned from other Women: Contains an excerpt of one of my poems on page 240:

"Deep down in my soul
I hear the grandmothers whispering"

—Harvest McCampbell, poet and herbalist

~~~~~

According to Amazon.com my name is mentioned on page 64 of the Poet’s Market. I am sure that is just a little bit of nothing; but gee, on the other hand, maybe now I am a famous poet.

Odd tid bit:

Every once in a while I search on my name, just to see what is out there. Recently I discovered that
Corina Roberts (of Redbird’s Vision) made a donation to the A Room of her Own Foundation in my honor—wow!

Yes indeed, we all need a room of our own!

My poetry, like much poetry, is often about my internal process. A friend, Abena Songbird, who describes her poetry in terms of "pressure squeezing out diamonds," once referred to my work as "making medicine out of pain."

Poetry is process, art, communication. The following poem is in response to some comments and questions about my use of the word trust in the poem above. That communication made me reflect deeply on the word trust, and what exactly I was feeling.

Trust

1. What I See

trust
is the perfume
of the victim

perpetrators
sniff it out
bend it to their will
trust me
they say

the victims
set aside
intuition
niggling insight
whatever tiny drop
of self preservation
they may contain

they splash themselves
with this
intoxicating perfume
believing
this time
this time
i can let go
i can let someone else
be in control
and it is all
going to be
ok

trusting they slip
back to childhood
and it is never ok

don’t tell me
im wrong
i believe
what i see

2. Well

bell told me this
wise old man
that he was

watch people
a little while
see how they are
and then trust them
to be that way

that was ages ago
i was 17
for 33 years
his advice
has served me
well

3. Watch Some More

i am here
settled
on the far side
of midlife crises
forging a new life
so very different
than i was before

there on the horizon
my windy friend
that free flying kite
has entered
the crucible
he will be crunched
down to bones and soul
and emerge
so very different

i cannot slip back
to childhood
bells advice
does not work
any more

i can only
watch and watch
and watch
some more

4. The Task At Hand

trust is simply
a matter of
having an excellent
fantasy
about the outcome

trust is not
necessary
to the task
at hand

Copyright 7/22/07 Harvest McCampbell

Looking for more writing?

Check out my Gardening Column:
Digging the Dirt

Find links to more of my writing on the Credits and Words pages.

Questions? Comments?
Send an e-mail to:
harvest95546@yahoo.com

www.HarvestMcCampbell.com

Graphics, Text, and Design Copyright 2007
Harvest McCampbell

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