Photo by Ashley Bovan
eight purple irises appeared
this morning without demanding
that i look— i was pulled to see,
while poised on hands and knees
digging in the dirt puts me
in a suspended reverie
while breathing, discovering
both the origin and the finality
in blossom, green stems
and leaf–so close
to home, we
can barely touch
abstraction–ever again–
and so still life begs
to be painted, held,
and fussed over within
the window of time
turning over the soil
breaking down the alabaster
of roosts and joists
holding up heaven
to rebuild in live materials
no guarantees in this construction
even with the proper use of gerund
the adverb shall follow the verb
down any grassy lane- towards
any green river teaming
with fresh water fish
swimming
for their brief life
making shining impressions
in the may light, as they
in finality get caught
reeled in and poached
with white wine, fresh herbs, lemon
attentive eyes on current’s pull
and still the late day sun bobs
atop the moving river
as salmon spawn
soon after dark
~ words by kate lamberg..(c) ’14
Water Wheel
Down by the river
riparian planting witch hazel,
nanny berries, hop tree, button bush,
black haw viburnum
with shovel and muscle and weight of work
in mud and dirt and root and rock
planning for future
paying for now
growing earth
going good
repairing medicine wheel
~ Steven B. Smith