Clingstone Cathedral
“Remember being a child, how every little moment was instantly holy.” – Nynke Salverda Passi
The peach orchard was my sanctuary,
a twenty-acre cathedral, purple vetch,
golden mustard hiding jack rabbit nests.
Among tree rows, a child might discover
feral cats, field mice, ground squirrel burrows.
I could wade through irrigation water,
vault a patchwork of levees,
explore a rural universe,
imagine myself invested
with magical powers.
Even now, country soil pulls me
back to Central Valley ranch,
an enduring safe space
where family still lives
and my soul remains rooted.
February 2022
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