Reflections at the Gateway

an evening in June

REFLECTIONS AT THE GATEWAY

Photo by Anna Hunko on Unsplash

This languorous June evening
Descends like a dream.
The atmosphere is humid and thick,
Floating, a cloud of mist
Kisses the fields.

Tonight is a gateway
Opening on the rest of my life,
It marks 70 years of existence.
I smoke a cigarette to baptize
The wise crone peeking through the veil
The survivor who has endured much
Like Jesco’s “miracle woman.”

It would be perfect
If the fog rolled in from the rivers
Enveloping the city in mystery
Commemorating my birthday eve. 

I have known the steel mills since birth
They surrounded my childhood
And shaped my identity
With their smokestacks spitting fire.

I will contemplate and reflect
As I come upon seven decades
With my passion for philosophy
And my fascination with human behavior.

I have encountered good and evil,
Justice and injustice,
The holy and the profane. 

I have loved and won 
I have loved and lost
Most important, I have loved
Carrying the wounds and lessons
Deep within my heart. 
© 2026 Stephanie M. Vargo