Poetry

Somebody Thought of You and Reached Out

There is a river of generosity in that house,

a fountain for lonely travelers every night.

 

In the village where I was born, there is a well

with a pole thirty feet high, balancing a bucket

 

where thirsty travelers can rest and quench their thirst

even across the ocean at night, on another continent.

 

There is a well of kindness in that house,

that sends its light to the moon,

 

gathers secrets and mysteries, stays up till dawn

to shine its diamonds. Around the table

 

in that house, friends are gathering to tell stories

to remember the joy, enthusiasm, and faith.

 

Create your own table. Use the good teacups,

don’t save them. Put away the ugly chipped plates

 

nobody picks, resist the pressure of useless things on sale.

In the village where I was born, on the top of the hill

 

you’ll find a troiţǎ, a cross where you pray.

Sometimes the well and the cross are together.

 

Somebody thought of you and reached out,

so you can enjoy the respite of the minute

 

when somebody prayed for you, somebody

sent you gifts from a hundred years ago.  

Lucia Cherciu

Lucia Cherciu writes both in English and in Romanian and is the author of five books of poetry, including “Train Ride to Bucharest” (Sheep Meadow Press, 2017), a winner of the Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize. She is the 2021 Dutchess County Poet Laureate, and her work was nominated three times for a Pushcart Prize and twice for Best of the Net. She teaches English at SUNY/Dutchess Community College. Her web page is http://luciacherciu.webs.com. @CherciuLucia

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