Urban Folk Tales
urban folk tales
if a berkeley choreographer gives you several
pounds of coffee, you will have a house guest
for at least a week.
if you wake up precisely when the alarm used to go off
then time will stand still
until you finish the task that you were meant to
or begin some project anew.
rapid sneezing in succession is but one of the ways
with which we count the foolish kisses.
if you listen carefully at sunrise
you can hear the wind
of the combined last breaths
of people who have touched your soul.
when you hold someone else's baby
and the baby does not cry
you will bring good luck to everyone
whom you later tell about it.
if you meet an animal at the crossroads
stop and give thanks
as your life is new
from that moment forward.
every tear that you shed
for the dead or dying
waters the joy of springs to come.
if you write letters that are not letters
or keep a journal
whose pages you can never find
your poems will feed twenty birds
on the harshest winter day.
flowers left on tables, bus seats,
and dash boards
will find their way to their
intended recipients.
if you can feel your heart beat,
hear your breathing,
and sense your feet upon the earth
you are probably listening.
if you sit quietly in the shadow
of your father's memory
you will find the keys or other things
that you think are lost.
if a child asks a question
that you cannot answer
you are obligated to all children
until you can.
when dogs bark
for no apparent reason
you are on the verge
of seeing or hearing something
that they already know.
if you see your face reflected
in a rain drop
ask a question
it will be answered within a day.
if you inadvertently give away something
that you shouldn't have
or did not intend to
somewhere
some one you know
is thinking about you.
if you give gifts that you have made
wrapped in things that you have found
you will always be remembered.
Bowen, J. M. (1995). “Urban Folk Tales”. In Weems, M. E. & Harusame Leebove, P. (Eds.). Off the Page. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland State University Press.