Jennifer’s poem explores a premonition of a future morning, filled with warmth, new life, and healing, offering solace and hope in the present, exclusively for Different Truths.
I had been there before
as I poured my coffee
in the dim light of the stove
it felt oddly familiar
as I opened the fridge
to grab the milk
it clicked into place
another morning
half asleep
pouring my coffee
but it hadn’t happened yet
it was a pre-memory
of my future
but more real
than a dream
I had slept in
the barn last night–
the last night that
hadn’t yet occurred–
to welcome
the newest batch of kittens
wrapped in a quilt
with a fire on
to ward the December chill
and in the little kitchen
for nights like this
I’d poured a cup of coffee
and snuggled in
with the newborn kittens
to give their tired mom a break
they licked and sniffed
my ears and hair
their curiosity endearing
as I reached for a pen
and a notebook nearby
to catch a falling poem
about new life
and rebirth
and unseen possibilities
about gratitude
and connection
and life coming full circle
and as my heart awoke
with the gentle rising sun
I sipped coffee while they slept
and carried my new poem-memory
back to the past-present
for it was needed more there
now I can see
with newly risen eyes
mended heart at home in the future
and know that I will
truly be
okay again one day
Picture design by Anumita Roy
Jennifer Gurney lives in Colorado, where she teaches, paints, writes, and hikes. Her poetry has appeared internationally in a wide variety of journals, two of her poems have won international contests, and one was recently turned into a choral piece for a concert. Jennifer’s first book of poetry, My Eyes Adjusting, has recently been published.
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