A Fairly Odd Woman

She was born on a hardship morning

when the cold settled

into the valleys

and surrounding hills

and knuckles of the old ones

She grew like the wild grass

the way things grow when they are left alone

to grow naturally

at one point she learned manners

societies rules

they nearly destroyed her

but not quite

for she learned to dance in the rain

to take midnight walks

to savor her own soul

she learned that every moment breathes

with the opportunity to invent who you are

so she succored and she treasured

each moments lesson

and ever so slowly life claimed her

as one of its own

and she became all that she had learned;

kindness

gentleness

wisdom

like rocket fueled boosters

falling away once theyve done their job

she learned and let go

she took that wild ride to places unknown

steered only by the stars

and the universe that created them