Unearned Gift

Shut the door,
blind the windows,
leave me alone with my joy.
Stay away dogs, cats, birds;
keep outside trees, flowers, grass;
turn back roads and paths; people
don’t come near; I’m a threat with good news.
The cupped hands of my heart carry
a new wonder, strange beyond all
telling that fills my room with flame
and sings in the weather of my age
where no birds sang lately, as if grace
on wings descended, and I think of you,
and love, and how you said love is not earned
but only deserved, and my heart swears
to bear its burden in your honor.