The Faraway Place by Kirsten Anderson

In the soul there lies a faraway place
where unknown roads wind and weave
into the horizon above distant fields;
where dreams dismissed fall into lands
marked by monoliths of strange metal,
alive with animals gliding through jungles;
where a small child sits in a temple
piping melodies that burn the night sky.


Kirsten Anderson, California, USA

Cinderella's Mother Explains by Kirsten Anderson

You need to know that it was
Lack of spirit that killed me,
Why I left life so soon.
From my place near the tree
I sorrowed to see her abused,
Ash-smeared and head low
Spirits falling onto the hearth.
So I sent forth my soul pieces,
Remnants of lost dreams:
A silver dress pearled,
A pair of glass gold-heels,
Pumpkins coaxed into coaches.
Because I wanted to teach her
What I learned too late,
That to find a prince one
Must already be a queen.

Kirsten Anderson, California

Our Time by Kirsten Anderson

The guide led us down the narrow lane
Of cobblestones sharp and uneven.

We emerged in the ancestral courtyard
Where under the diffuse northern light,

A verdigris-covered sundial foretold
The hour of our deaths.


Kirsten Anderson, California, USA