Stone Mountain Lovers

image © 2025 emma & clint

 

A settlement on a hill,

whole,

together, stone

 

mountain lovers—

birds born

 

of rain, of forest, of snow—

soon to be one,

blood and bone.

 

The lights, their eyes—

azure, emerald, form

 

a curving of hands, hearts

together feathered into

the beautiful poem of home.

 

© 2025 Jennifer Wagner

 

I rarely post process notes with my poems, but for this one, here goes:  my son, Clint, whose name means “a settlement on a hill,” recently became engaged to his love, Emma, whose name means “whole.”  He proposed at Stone Mountain Park, a special place for the two of them.  He comes from rain land, she from snow.  His eyes are blue, hers are green.  They are very much birds of a feather—having the same heart to serve people.  They have been doing so here in the US, with plans to do so soon abroad.  They are just simply beautiful poetry together. 

 

WGO:  Beauty

Poetic Bloomings

Green Apple Tattoo

 

Mom and Dad harvested the green apples

and then took down the tangled trees—

the apricot trees, too,

as they were dying.

 

But the lilacs still bloomed prettily

across the fence line

in our backyard

May to June.

 

In summer, Dad made a target

behind the garage

for me to work on my softball aim.

He always said I had

a good arm after that.

 

At Christmas, Luke gave me

a lilac blossom candle

(even his name means light-giving),

and baseball’s Spring Training is soon to start

here in the desert.

 

All this to say, if tattoos

came in scents, I’d get some.

Green apple, lilac,

old leather softball glove.

 

Little gifts lingering long upon my skin—

bright sparks of memory,

lit candles, shining always,

even in my dark.

 

 

© 2025 Jennifer Wagner