A Time to Rest, by Tina M. MWP

A Time to Rest

Blue bears down on the black horizon as twilight arrives
awakening an ant, a beetle and a walking stick.

The sandy bank of the lake, cooling all night from the days
harsh heat, offers a place to rest among the green reeds.

A family at last finds respite after trekking across perilous
terrain, the whites of their eyes disappear as the light rises.

But can they rest, people fleeing, trying to break free
from anvils strapped to their ankles? 

Even she, with resilient legs, brawny feet, calloused toes, 
toes that hold the silhouette of a mother cradling a baby,

half lays in the golden dunes, eyes to the sky, rests 
her fingers around the neck of the rifle.

Tina M. MWP

This poem was inspired by the painting Daybreak: a Time to Rest, by Jacob Lawrence (USA) 1967. Click here to view it.
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Tina M. MWP (she/her) is committed to serving others through her professional life as an engineer and innovator in public health, and in her personal life, as a volunteer and tutor, and now, as a writer.  She writes creative nonfiction and poems about belonging, identity, the power of language, and nature.  She lives with her family in Rockville, MD.