2003/ecstasy

I sit in a green ecstasy,
eating kitchari – mung beans
with fresh cilantro,
crisp spears of asparagus,
al dente,
on a plate with green stripes
that match the mung,
a placemat that echoes
the pattern of the plate,
and though its redundant, I know,
a table cloth the same color green
with roses.
Olive green wicker chairs.
The philodendron that usually
hangs over the counter
left on the bakers’ rack
to drip dry after being left
out in the rain,
the large plant that sits in the corner
pulled out to maximize the sun.
Through the windows I look out,
our oaks, the troublesome yucca,
the pepper in bloom,
the same red and green of the tablecloth.
eucalyptus in the distance,
the dusty green of the mountain.
Everything green, the ecstasy of green,
the joy of spring. Vasant, is Sanskrit
to say the joy of spring.

3/19/03