One goes out to gather
Red roses every morning
Thorns rake arms and hands
Then from the open scratches
Blood and dew and petals in a mortar
Mix cosmetically
To conceal the other’s chalk complexion
That creditors won’t seek to take advantage
Of sickness that betrays their origins
In mosquito swamplands of the lowly south
PRESCRIPTION
Gratitude and praise
Are natural expressions
Of a sound and balanced mind
And should your mind become
Unbalanced and unsound
Try gratitude and praise
With both feet on the ground
Bernard Saint
Illustration: Claire Palmer
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