Potential Content
The tender anxieties settle
on the outside like a husk.
I went off buspirone to feel it—
the slow give of the body
toward the soil.
A man on Youtube mows
an abandoned lot.
an abandoned lot.
Underneath: cicada, seed, circumstance,
the patient who wait
their years to climb up, sing,
and leave a husk on the bark.
I can’t remember anything
that’s happened to me.
I will follow you
after I am dead, you know.
Everything rots and grows
and is given back.
The weather now,
and then the passing of it.
19 thoughts on "Potential Content"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
So real it’s ethereal.
You continue to amaze
and inspire me.
The feeling is mutual! Thank you so much, Jim.
Agree with Jim.
Especially love: “the slow give of the body/toward the soil.”
and “to climb up, sing,/and leave a husk on the bark.”
Thank you! And just when we thought we left the cicadas in LexPoMo 2025!
😅 truths
Agree with Pam & Jim – powerful words
I only echo
what had already been said.
“I went off buspirone to feel it—
the slow give of the body
toward the soil.”
Ugh, man.
So good
And so true.
Your words are so deep, as if written in the soil itself. A lot to consider and reflect upon.
This is gorgeous. “I will follow you
after I am dead, you know.
Everything rots and grows
and is given back.”
Yes. This poem whispers a gentle “yes…”
Amazing!
Stunning poem, Shaun. A kind of clear-eyed calm in the face of the ultimate. Poignant yet deeply consoling.
Got me thinking.
Any of these stanzas can stand on its own as a separate poem, each making you consider its morsel of wisdom. My favorite: I went off buspirone to feel it—/the slow give of the body/toward the soil. It’s a reminder that life is to be experienced naturally — on its own terms. Well done, Shawn!
I agree with Lee. Any stanza can work as a stand-alone poem 🔥
I am particularly fond of the 4th :
“Underneath: cicada, seed, circumstance,
the patient who wait
their years to climb up, sing,
and leave a husk on the bark.”
This is amazing. I love the phrasing of “the slow give of the body/ toward the soil.” You pay such close attention to your craft — I love the alliteration of “cicada, seed, circumstance.” Also, the bluntness of “I will follow you/ after I am dead, you know” is very effective. Fabulous!
An Amazing poem, Shaun! As Lee says above, any stanza could stand alone. My favorite:
Underneath: cicada, seed, circumstance,
the patient who wait
their years to climb up, sing,
and leave a husk on the bark.
Beautiful language! I am also most drawn to the same stanza Greg wrote about above. Fantastic work!
the last four couplets are amazing. i’m sitting here at the bar reading this, stunned
And the last stanza really drove it all home. “The weather now/and then the passing of it” says it all from that bird’s eye view the ancient stoics say to view everything as, from time to time. It’s all so very simple when put like that. Well done with this, Shaun!
What a powerful poem. Heartbreaking and tender, and somehow beautiful and consoling at the same time. This stanza knocked me out:
Underneath: cicada, seed, circumstance,
the patient who wait
their years to climb up, sing,
and leave a husk on the bark.