9 of Cups: Contentment
/Ami Patel
And now we have this. A sliver of a sliver
of joy we planted, in a plot full of loam
and pigeon croons. We wait, like we have
for decades in this life and centuries
of other lives. Our smiles are in sync
with the pulse of the moon, and the
shortlist of my desires becomes even
shorter now that you sit here with me.
Hands held loose enough so when
temptation overcomes one of us
we are free to plunge our fingers in soil
just to say we were here, and alive, once.
To claim this was so much, and just enough,
over and over again.
Author’s Note: While reading adrienne maree browne's brilliant book Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, I was reflecting on feeling fulfilled with enough, even as modern capitalism tempts us with excess. This led me to think about how grateful I am to be blessed by the grounding magic of queer brown love. What was even more lovely was that shortly after I wrote this poem, our friends had a party for their 10-year partnership, and I had the honor of offering them these words as part of their celebration.
Ami Patel (she/her) is a queer, diasporic South Asian writer of poetry and YA Fiction. She is a two-time VONA alum and a Tin House alum. Ami’s poetry can be found in various publications, including Unchaste Anthology: Volume Two, Red Rock Review, Apricity Magazine, and They Rise Like A Wave: An Anthology of Asian American Women Poets. Ami lives in Portland, OR, which gives her plenty of creative inspiration, from her garden to the mountains to the love of her life.
