The Things I’ve Done Do Not Define the Person I Am by Trish Hopkinson

Moving through the world,
like I know every move before I make it,
overlooking my faults, the good I want to have,
the deepest sparkling winters,
 the snow-capped stars—a gift
that can be costly to accept—
 understanding all I need is
already in me: calm, peacefulness,
 beauty, elegance—soft,
fluent elegance.
 
I don’t always act according
to the knowledge I have.
 
Kindness and purity turn to white smoke
in the meadow of love and hope—
 
above a girl with corkscrew pigtails
who can’t live up to her name.
 
Sometimes, even if I said too much,
I can still go back and fix it.
I can actually learn.
And that’s heaven. 

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Trish Hopkinson has always loved words—in fact, her mother tells everyone she was born with a pen in her hand. Trish is co-founder of a local poetry group, Rock Canyon Poets. She is a project manager by profession and resides in Utah with her handsome husband and their two outstanding children. You can follow her poetry adventures at http://trishhopkinson.com/