Poetry for the Christening of "

The physics of falling

Finding yourself hurtling to the center of the earth

In an elevator

Locked in with no escape

Could you jump?

In the last instant?

In the last moment?

Would you live?

Who would you be with?

In that last twinkling

As masks drop in freefall

And sounds of terror rise,

Would that be sufficient cover

To liberate us for just that instant

From the bonds that now separate?

It is not simply a matter of physics

And the question is not simply one of falling objects

Rather, it is a question of how

Time can stand still.

M. Anthony Graham, 2006

Black Irises

Black irises edge the border

Of the garden where you sleep.

Bearded and velvety their hardiness

Surprises me on this day.

Black irises are not of the world

Only on the edge are they nourished.

The black transforms the colors

In the bright joy of sunshine.

Black irises bloom for the least reason

Reaching full to the sky.

Life is full of darkness in the light

Ever present as I live on without you.

Black irises stay with you forever

When seen in a garden verdant.

The memory of a single, shining moment

Feeds them every short summer season.

M. Anthony Graham