by Luci Shaw
A visitor from outer space,
this alien flames from the back hall’s
dark floor tile. As if this were its target
from the beginning.
Damaged from re-entry,
a crumpled tissue of flicker,
it has never landed in this spot
before–this lozenge of light.
I trace the trajectory back
and back through slats,
window glass, a screen,
out beyond atmosphere to find
its source. Everything
has a source.
Carved by shadows,
complications of alder leaves,
hills, mist, cloud, light years.
And now, here, this
trifling signal—the sun’s emissary
with its slow wink.
Luci Shaw was born in London, England in 1928. A poet and essayist, since 1986 she has been Writer in Residence at Regent College, Vancouver. Author of over thirty-five books of poetry and creative non-fiction, her writing has appeared in numerous literary and religious journals. In 1913 she received the 10th annual Denise Levertov Award for Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University.