Sharon Lopez Mooney

I am Big
 
my legs stand against the sky
my feet make their way through mountain peaks
i throw handfuls of stars into the heavens
i massage the heart beat of the earth
with the rhythm of my walk
i am strong
i pleasure at my image in the ocean
i shawl my shoulders with clouds
cover my hips with rain storms
the sun freckles my back
and i shadow the mushroom and fern
i am in the middle of life
neither new nor finished
the color rises in my cheeks with the sun
my skin is smooth across firm muscles
my eyes are mountain ponds
clear and open
my voice is heard in the call of the eagle
i am serpentine
i stand steady with myself



Sharon Lopez Mooney, poet, is a retired interfaith chaplain from the “end of life” field, now living in Mexico and part time in California. Mooney was given a California Arts Council Grant to establish a rural poetry series. She also co-published a regional anthology, co-owned an alternative literature service, produced poetry readings, and facilitated poetry feedback workshops. Mooney’s poems are in numerous publications like The Blotter, The Avalon, Galway Review, Adelaide International, Ginosko, NewVerse News, Glassworks, Roundtable Literary Journal, Tipton Literary Journal, as well as the anthologies CALYX, Cold Lake, Strong Words, Smoke & Myrrors (UK), and many others nationally and internationally. More of her poems are found at www.sharonlopezmooney.com