Emerging

by Beth Kress

out of a swirling crowd,

or a sea of faces,

out of a field

of unlimited possibilities —

like a penguin finding its

own in a flock of thousands

or a lost traveler threading

her way home in the dark.

A bee finds the lone flower

in a field of weeds,

a patch of sunlight slants

its way into the deep forest

and a cellist’s bow finds

exactly the right note.

The precision

is that of a masterful artist

with a longing for completion,

and just like seeds that burrow

up toward the sun,

or a surge of strength

comes to someone who’s fallen —

just like that — I found you.

{after Lahab Assef Al-Jundi)

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Beth Kress grew up in a small town outside Chicago and lived in mid-coast Maine before moving to the Boston area. She began writing poetry after careers in teaching and counseling. Kress is keenly interested in community, the natural world, our stories, and connections of all kinds. Her work has been published in the Snowy Egret, Spotlight, The Avalon Literary Review, Dreamers, The Red Wheelbarrow Writers’Anthology and recently won The Willow Review Prize. Her chapbook Taking Notes was published by Finishing Line Press in 2020.