Poem a day #3

Ecophysical / You Keep Busy

“You keep busy” they say,
Looking at the plants growing from my skin
And the geese nibbling my hair
As if my body wasn’t a glorious dance
That happens despite my best efforts.

Their daughter has hockey practice
And before that they need to make lunch
So they leave early: there’s grocery shopping on the way home,
Work and school lunches to pack,
Dinner to plan,
And were they out of tupperware? Add it to
The List. Don’t forget the
Hair appointment after work
And better shave today and everyday
So coworkers will be friendly
When spoken to with the designated greeting.
Of course that greeting needs research
Sports teams, that current bingeable series.
Weather is less relatable.
Dishes before bed, sweep the floor,
Quick scheduling discussion about next week.
Is there time for a load of laundry?
It’s tax week, should they skip
The weekly ritual gathering.
Is it gaming, where you shop and research the rules?
Wine and social performance?
I admit I don’t know what their ritual is.
I haven’t shown up.
My plants keep me
Too busy.

Poem-a-day #4

Writing is to my sense of self what a swingset is to my proprioception

Emergence

They say the whole plant is formed in the seed
Tiny leaves, tiny stem, tiny roots
Dreaming its future self into being

Then comes the unfurling.
It all falls apart.
The seed coat rends. The water soaks. The molds attack. The sunlight burns.
So much soil to dig through. So much gravity to fight.

Dreaming,
Rending,
Every year.
Then, fully realized,
Leaf and flower and stem and root,
Expansively twine into the whole wide world.