Synkroniciti is excited to welcome back writer and poet Mary Pacifico Curtis of California, who closes the Expectations issue with two wistful poems that tie human expectation and survival to nature and how we interact with our fragile and miraculous planet. Mary debuted with us in 2021 in the “Birds” issue, returning in “Empowered!” and “Belonging.” The thoughtful ecological sensibility of her poetry is invaluable in this issue.
“Out of the Desert” is inspired by an early morning desert hike that culminates in dawn and possibility.
“Over slopes, crags and cliffs./ We are science, practice, story./ Our towns and cities distant now. Here// in breaking light —”
The spareness of Mary’s poem echoes the vulnerability of human beings in the desert, where we cannot afford to carry baggage. And yet, when we let ourselves connect to this sparseness, we feel the busyness of human life quieten and the anxiety of society subside. We have somehow come home.
“Of Our Making,” one of our Expectations poetry finalists, is an acknowledgement of how humanity has abused nature for profit and a declaration of hope that nature continues to renew herself despite our ignorance.
“With charred animals scraping for life/ in habitats now barren/ and the weapons to wipe out life/ as it is known. We ask how/ can springtime survive.”
The imagery is devastating, but the poem insists on resilience and rejects despair. Springtime, renewal, and joy persist despite devastation. Curtis reminds us that Earth has endured millennia of upheaval, and while human greed threatens nature’s balance, her regenerative force cannot be discounted. Expectation is not only a human hope and burden, but also involves a promise from nature, inviting us to align ourselves with her creative force.
Read Mary’s perceptive poetry in Synkroniciti’s Expectations issue, Vol. 8, No. 2, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Mary Pacifico Curtis writes poetry, memoir and literary criticism, and is the author of Between Rooms (2016) and The White Tree Quartet (2018) and a memoir, Understanding Moonseed (2022). Accolades include recognition as a Joy Harjo Poetry Finalist (Cutthroat Journal), Poetry Finalist in The Tiferet Journal, non-fiction finalist in the 48th New Millenium Writings contest and a non-fiction finalist in The Tupelo Quarterly Open.
She has had a Silicon Valley career in PR and branding, and as an entrepreneur and VC. Mary lives with her husband, two dogs and wildlife that share their terraced California home. Her first full length poetry collection, Hawk’s Cry, was published in 2023 by Finishing Line Press.