A Ginkgo Leaf

A Poem for Your Week

I’ve got a ginkgo leaf 
On my dashboard 
Yellow and all, 
Announcing the coming 
Of fall. 

I picked it up yesterday 
On my way out of 
A creaky old home, 
Off Church St. 

It’s a leaf 
I stared at 
For an hour 
Talking to a woman  
That sat 
In front of me
         Gently, 
         Patiently. 

It was easier to
Make eye contact 
With the Ginkgo tree 
Outside the window
When feeling the vulnerability 
Behind the words 
I was speaking. 
 
         A stranger, 
        This woman was— 

A safe place, 
She became.  

We shared our love 
For poetry; 
More specifically, 
Mary Oliver’s poetry.  

She read me her favorite: 
“Dogfish” 
It’s one I hadn’t heard before

Now, 
It’s one I’ll never 
Not hear. 

Anyways, 
(As Mary likes to say)
I have a ginkgo leaf 
On my dashboard 

            A piece of church
            I’ll carry 
            With me
            Into winter, 
            
Maybe even
Spring. 

A Bit Behind This Poem:

I wrote this back in September, at the beginning of fall. It’s taken me a while to determine whether or not I wanted to share this poem and a bit of the words behind it.