Michael, now that you are absent
But implicit, proofs of your genius and warmth
Are sprouting everywhere
Michael, it’s a new Spring that none of us wanted
To see without you
To build new places on which to stand
To form archipelagos, and then,
Continents of meaning to sustain your work
Discovering better identities
In gardens and stories of possibility, everywhere
Michael, you gave us the new earth
The plowed fields,
The extraordinary seeds
The particular knowledges
The planting maps
All fruits of your hard work
Daily, you handed them to us
Patiently explaining
And now,
It’s early Spring, It’s raining
Time once again for the miracle of growth.
Pam Smith
April, 2008
