Making a Spirit House

(a partially found poem)

"Certain kinds of beauty make people weep..."
- Rebecca Solnit


It is good if it can be built
in front of a tree

It is good if it can nestle 
by its roots

It should not face 
a toilet or a road 
or the compost heap

Its door must look north 
but it can never be placed 
to the left of your own door

It should not stand
in the shadow of the house

Therefore it may be placed
on the roof

Calculate everything 
from the time of day
to the color and material
of the spirit house

Infuse the pillars  
with goodness, placing nine 
lucky leaves and an abundance
of fruit and flower

Let the grass grow tall
and mark the river's edge
with smooth stones

Call in the angels and other 
guardians from different realms

Call in their horses and dogs,
their baby elephants, their 
owls, their sleepy cats

One holds a money bag 
and a sword 
One receives a tray 
of oil and rice

Let the brown-cloaked moths
drink from your tears

Once the spirit world's 
energy enters, place 
a gold leaf on the roof

Honor the spirits of the land 
and the water and the air

Make their dwelling more splendid 
than the bigger, uglier 
real thing where we live