Your Heart Knows

Cats, cups, and words of love on Valentine's Day 2025

Here’s a poem I wrote on the anniversary of my mother’s passing. I’m always so touched to rediscover how her love lingers in the most unexpected places even thoughe her body is gone. Sometimes I play the voicemails she left on my phone or take out the black sweatshirt with the rhinestones she sent on Christmas with the note, “I know we have very different tastes in clothes, but this reminded me of you,” tucked into the folds.

On this Valentine’s Day please take a moment to hold the hands of those you love and let them know how much they mean to you.

With Love,
Jena

Because We Can

Today the trees ached
and signed with the pleasure
of being rumpled by the wind,
spread their new-fledged fingers wide
and inhaled the rust-red scent of rain
infused with tears.

This place of silent names
and absolutes - the beloved,
not-to-be-forgotten lives
condensed to chiseled stone,
this place that stands between two worlds -
brokering peace - buffering the edge of grief
with dappled sunlight.

Listen.
The petals of the cherry trees
are humming as they fall,
the throats of robins tremble
with tones of earth,
and it’s all the squirrels can do
to contain their glee.

How could we not be brimming
with the stark and compelling pleasure
of drawing breath,
the simple act of holding hands
because we can? - Jena Ball

Copyright 2020 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.

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