Marj Hahne

His/Hers

                  The equilibrium of any particular aspect of nature
            rests on the equivalence of its opposites.  ~Piet Mondrian

Where there’s smoke
a candle flickers

too long, too hot on its wick.
A breathy whistle or whisper

can put the fire out, but first
listen for the wish

of a moth wanting
to be lace or butterfly.

A stalk is a stem but not vice
versa. Tulips open either sky.

Does rain remember cloud 
and thunder; honey, the tupelo tree?

Not every dock or street leads
to an emerald city.

A fork on a plate never needs
to be a spoon in a bowl.

The one who told you to kick rocks?
A birdless heart trembles in the snow.

Marj Hahne is a freelance editor, writer, and writing teacher, and a 2015 MFA graduate from the Rainier Writing Workshop, in poetry. She has performed and taught at over 100 venues around the country, including public radio and television programs. Her poems have appeared in literary journals, anthologies, art exhibits, and dance performances. To make poetry hospitable, she reads poems to dogs and pairs poems with craft beers, spirits, and coffee for her YouTube channel.