Jesse Mavro Diamond ‘s poetry has been published in many journals in The U.S. Her awards include first place in Eidos magazine’s international poetry competition for “A Very Sober Story,” The Tennessee Williams Literary Festival’s “One of Ten Best Poems in the U.S.” for “Swimming The Hellespont. She was a finalist for 2014 Lascaux Poetry Prize and included in The Lascaux Prize Anthology 2014 for “Chetwynd Morning.” “An Elegy for Devron,” was musically scored by composer Mu Xuan Lin and premiered at Jordan Hall in 2008. For many years, Mavro Diamond has taught writing courses in Boston area colleges and high schools. She currently teaches English at Boston Latin School.

Simple Acts

We constantly are driven to search for some atonement, for simple acts of love and kindness
Charley Shively

Our guilt abuses the love we share.
We are charged with crimes, but we are innocent.
Simple acts of kindness are so scarce, so rare.

Our love is a rabbit scurrying here and there,
camouflaged by undergrowth, breathless, spent.
Our shame abuses the love we share.

The ladder to Heaven is one body, bare.
Climb: the foot, the hand, the torso’s firmament.
Simple acts of kindness are so scarce, so rare.
The antidote to toxic fear
is to break the fast of self-imposed Lent.
Take one tongue, another’s breast bare.

To each, to all, raise this simple cup of care.
Exonerate ourselves; we are innocent!
Acts of celebration are so scarce, so rare.

This song is your roughhewn bed, simple, spare.
Fill it with two bodies, two tongues, two breasts bare.
Raise the resurrection flag, until, so sweetly spent,
we have savored, we have blessed the love we share.