With one hand free we walk
he pulls and tugs, sniffs and wanders
I touch down off the stoop
careful not to stumble
pulling back on his leash
a safety bar for me
in balance with himA few steps on scratchy
grey-to-match-the-day sidewalk
right turn around the corner of the house
down the driveway
then a quick left
and we are freeI see her in the distance
Mothertree
as he pulls and zig zags from sniff to sniff
she on top of the hill
waiting for usFirst we must cross emptied streets
quiet in their distancingWe maneuver around dip of open space
spindly arms of buff bowing to earth
in honor of sprightly green pushing up,
frosted blue this fine April dayPast the stand of trees
blackened branches cradling bird nests
soon to be filled
then up the hill toward herUpon arrival we see
her sap flows again
from a old wound partially healed over
but only partially
she allows an opening
a way for me to know she is alive
and well and ready for spring
Author’s Note:
from NaPoWriMo:
“Our (optional) prompt for the day takes a leaf from Schuyler’s book, as it were, and asks you to write a poem about a specific place — a particular house or store or school or office. Try to incorporate concrete details, like street names, distances (“three and a half blocks from the post office”), the types of trees or flowers, the color of the shirts on the people you remember there. Little details like this can really help the reader imagine not only the place, but its mood – and can take your poem to weird and wild places.”
Social distancing is our way now to show our love, honor every being of this Earth.
To Create... 