A Life

Over the earth of
Coolgranna’s ten thousand acres
the sky was:
its gifts formed her body,
its shapes intrigued her mind,
its hues enthused her spirit.
Her father named the stars with her;
her mother explained the moon.
As a child she wondered where the sky began-
how far off the ground-
and what happened at that precise place
where the vastness of the ocean
met its complement.
She dreamt that if her horse leapt
high and wide enough
they would be taken up Elijah-like
to taste the texture of cloud
and bring home a handful of sky.
Mostly the sky over Coolgranna
was cloudless
and they rode within
the uncompromising blue
of pure cerulean
to which she gave her heart.
An old woman, and horseless,
she still gazed each day at the sky,
and increasingly wondered,
with avid peace,
how many days there would be
until she became one at last with it.