Apparently, there comes a point
when the compost is finished.

Greens for nitrogen:
smiling veggie peelings,
grasses shorn of the earth,
coffee grounds that made mornings
a place I wanted to be.

Browns for carbon:
cardboard that boxed lives,
straw that comforted chickens,
shredded paper from all the vultures
who want to buy my house.

Moisture:
too dry slows it down, too wet
it goes anaerobic and smells
like desperation. Don’t cry
over it.

Air:
microorganisms and bacteria
need oxygen, flip your compost over
like grave dirt to aerate and let it breathe.

When the compost becomes balanced,
growth can begin.