only this
matters: this ecstatic
baptism
this standing on stick-
thin legs where the singing
creek pools at the lip
of the waterfall
only this
ruby-feathered
chest diving to meet
its reflection
this beak piercing
again and again that quivering
surface, these wings half-
unfolding, a ruffle
of joy guiding rivers
of light a tumble
of droplets dressed
in rainbows along your hidden
spine
shattering all
decorum beneath
blue branches in quiet
assent. . .
How could we resist “…a ruffle/ of joy guiding rivers/of light…”? I don’t want to resist it! Thank you for being with me here. I found this ectasy poem in Ivan Granger’s “The Longing in Between”. My copy is always nearby. Share generously.
Thanks to Dr Stephanie Dowrick for her initiative in giving us a poem a day for 2026
and for finding this poem to share with us.
