Three Poems for Eastertide: Joyce Kilmer, Marie Howe, and Lucille Clifton

“Easter”
by Joyce Kilmer

The air is like a butterfly
    With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
    And sings.

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“Easter”
by Marie Howe

Two of the fingers on his right hand
had been broken

so when he poured back into that hand it surprised
him — it hurt him at first.

And the whole body was too small. Imagine
the sky trying to fit into a tunnel carved into a hill.

He came into it two ways:
From the outside, as we step into a pair of pants.

And from the center — suddenly all at once.
Then he felt himself awake in the dark alone.

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“spring song”
by Lucille Clifton

the green of Jesus
is breaking the ground
and the sweet
smell of delicious Jesus
is opening the house and
the dance of Jesus music
has hold of the air and
the world is turning
in the body of Jesus and
the future is possible