HP Rivers

  • Resolution

    After months of delightingEvery time I caught a glimpse ofThe family of cardinalsThat lives in my back yard,Blessing the branchesThat kiss my bedroom windowWith their songs,Dancing with the moonIn their flight,I put up a feederChosen and filledEspecially for them. I figuredI can spend my entire life waitingFor that which delights meOr I can call it…

    HP Rivers

  • Meatballs

    Every time I make meatballs I think of my grandmothers. I wonder how far down the trunk Of my family tree One would have to travel To find the first woman In my lineage Who made meatballs For her family. It is not a family recipe I found it on the internet And changed it…

    HP Rivers

  • On the New Moon

    Beloved, There is nothing in this universe That is not for you. Every kiss exists To fall upon your cheek, Every song To entice your soul to dance, There is not a soul Who does not wish To dance with you, For all of creation Resides within the rhythm Of your heartbeat – You need…

    HP Rivers

  • Grief

    Is not an energy That can be cleared With sage Or good intentions. It demands To be felt fully, Because after all – It only grows In the void Where love Once flourished, And love’s wounds Run soul-deep.

    HP Rivers

  • A Pandemic Season

    This chapbook includes all of the poems that I wrote from August – November 2020 and was compiled for my Illness, Healing, and Health class at Starr King. You can see the full book, which includes 24 poems and a brief introduction at the link below. Feedback is absolutely cherished. You can reach me by…

    HP Rivers

  • Shamxn

    Come listen to the big drumsThe heartbeatsOf the cosmos, praying you to liveWeary as you might be. Dear one,This healing is your heartbeatThe prayers you bless the world with,Bless yourself in the process. There are no ancestors cheering for you. Rather, they weepTears of wisdom,Knowledge of the path to comeFor they have walked it too,But…

    HP Rivers

  • A Baptism

    I drape my legs over the side of the bathtubAnd my child splashes them with bubbles.I think of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. I never felt unworthy until they put you in my arms,Never felt terror until I counted your tiny breaths,Never knew God until I saw your smile. Baptized now by bubblesAnd…

    HP Rivers