But isn’t this how

Katrina Kaye

we should live our lives?

Listening to music about fools in love;
dancing without worrying about
matching the beat; humming along

because there is no shame
in not knowing the words;

glancing out the window at
a blue sky; watching the mimosa flowers
wave from the neighbor’s yard;
writing poetry about the
potential of the world which humanity
does not deserve.

Our only noble purpose as a species is to
adore the raw beauty of our earth.

We were never meant to participate in the play,
we were meant to enjoy it, appreciate it,
applaud all its hard work to become
something sustainable for a species
as miserable as humankind who has
war and money and all the small chaos
we insisted on inventing.

We take for granted the things
that we are not credited. We act
unimpressed at the pure magic that
is this existence –

Perhaps if we slow down, if we watch
and listen and sit very still, we can enjoy
the show created for our pleasure.

“But isn’t this how” is previously published by Cajun Mutt Press (2024).

2 things

Katrina Kaye

there are
2 things

i
now know
for certain:

i loved
you with
every beat
of my self

&

it did
not matter

 

“2 things” is previously published in Rabbits for Luck (2016).

 

2 things Katrina Kaye

A Short Ode to Breath

Katrina Kaye

In search of
my purpose,
I wander the house.

As though spying
on a discarded lover,
I peek the sunset
around the curtains:

the glimpse of
lavender and orange hues
reflect off the bottom
of untouched clouds.

I forget what I am looking for.

Instead of continuing
a search, I sit still and
enjoy a deep breath,
precious and deliberate,

unlike so many
I take for granted.

“A Short Ode to Breath” is previously published in New Croton Review (2025).