Poem: Here Today

God is here today
She is a spectacular god,
Good company and magnificence. She sings, barks,
And is an able contortionist (she learned this in India.)
She does splits when you don’t expect them,
Has a big vocabulary, is part Jewish
Part Buddhist part wind.
She plays excellent piano, speaks Urdu,
Breathes deeply, and does the sun salute.
This god knows words to many songs.
She bakes bread, and often makes strawberry shortcake.
She turns her small mountains so green
You want to eat them and then
She just hands you a long light yellow porch
Where you can sit and sit and sit
To watch her move so slowly
You’d miss her if you weren’t really watching.

From “God Is a Tree” (Pleasure Boat Studio)

Esther Cohen is a poet, cultural activist, novelist and book doctor. She lives in New York.