I believe in magic

a poem by Harley Bell

I am enchanted  
by the glimmer of light
behind the clouds

and the patience of seeds
waiting for the first touch
of rain to sprout.

I am moved by the wind
as it migrates with birds
across the sky.

Look at the trees and the way they transmute
sunlight to sugar and sap. If ever I stop seeing
the magic, please
remind me of the earth.
I give you permission
to take my hand
and hold it close
to the dirt. Feel for the roots
and the way water is carried
through living things.
How many creatures
cast spells of their own?

Feel for the mushrooms
and their invisible work
to befriend the forgotten
minerals in the dark.

Look for a caterpillar crystalizing
inside a cocoon. For the flight
of monarchs and the way they seek
the scent of swan plants.

Look for the night-flowers, blooming in white
and pink to reflect the moonlight
to attract the pollinating wings of moths.

Look for the light and believe everything you see.

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This poem is in my as yet unpublished poetry book, Wild Altar. I am currently searching for a publisher for it, do you have any suggestions where my work could find a home?

Wild Altar is a book of New Zealand poetry. It contains poems about art, love, meditation and magic. There are poems about sleeping in carparks, getting lost in forests and sailing between islands. There are hard moments when I pry under the rug, where we New Zealander’s love to sweep our darkness. All encircles the landscape of Aotearoa. All illumes what it is like to live here.