Off the coast of
Florida, my son chased
marlin, tuna, and grouper
like he was born with a
rod in his hand.  The cooler
filled with his victories.  The
sun rose, crested, and waned.

A bite!

The line screams off the
reel.  Digging in, one
hard crank.  Another.
The line runs.  He reels harder.
Water churns, a battle on the
food chain.

The line goes slack.

He’s lost.  Reeling in the
lure, he learns – not a loss.
A shared victory.  Two thirds of a
tuna for him, the fish
tail to a shark.

© Hilary Clark ~ August 5, 2020

My poems are inspired by my art.  See the piece that inspired this poem here.

You are a spiritual
being living a
human existence,
always connected to
the All and the Everything
by the magical star
stuff from which you are made.

You are always connected:
to neighbors, to friends,
to black, brown and white,
to family and strangers,
the near and the far.

All the same star stuff.
All the same magic.

Alone in your home,
alone in the world,
alone in your heart —
all are illusions.

To feel the connection,
listen to your heart beat.
Breathe deep, and
on the exhale,
hear my heart beat too.

We are connected.

© Hilary Clark ~ July 9, 2020

My poems are inspired by my art.  See the piece that inspired this poem here.

We moved cross country in the
middle of a pandemic to
self-isolate and shelter in
place.

We wonder if there are
neighbors in the
houses on our new street.

No one is out.

We are not alone in feeling
isolated. Adults miss
co-workers they dislike.
Kids miss school classes they
hid under covers to avoid.

Isolation slices at the universal connection we share.
There is distance between us.

No hugs.

No shared laughter over a
bottle of wine at a
favorite restaurant.

Each on our own
desert island, wondering if
we’ll ever return.

© Hilary Clark ~ May 29, 2020

My poems are inspired by my art.  See the piece that inspired this poem here.