IN THESE DARK TIMES

You must feel loved when you read this.
Lean against the hand
stroking the back of your neck. Relax.
In the pocket where you once kept marbles
is a small bag full of kisses.
Open it. Let it go.
Someone’s humming in the next room
with a throaty laugh at every missed note
because mistakes don’t matter.
No, don’t go see.
You don’t even have to listen.
You are loved.

There’s a warm smell coming from the kitchen
and the puppy’s nibbling your slippers
but you’re too comfortable to get angry.
There are so many people who want this.
Just this.
Believe me, they are not your enemies.

-Julia Vinograd

Berkeley’s poetry Walk was laid in October 2003 along Edison Street between Shattuck and Milvia Streets. The route includes 128 metal plates with excerpts from songs, each of which is related in one way or another to the city of Berkeley.

The current plate features a poem by the American poet Julia Vinograd (1943-2018). Berkeley-born Vinograd became known as the "Bubble Lady" because she blew soap bubbles during demonstrations in People’s Park (1969).