Why I Write
Because it loosens the soil,
and by soil, I mean
that part of me you might call
soul, hard-packed
beneath the leaf-mulch
of worry and waste of good weather,
by which I mean time and space
to wonder and wander
through layers
of seed and root,
tunnels and nests,
stone and silt and clay
and bedrock,
I mean
the hand
that holds us all.
8 thoughts on "Why I Write"
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I love how soil and soul sound similar and both are fundamental nurturers.
yes! to the response to the title: Because it loosens the soil
love: the leaf-mulch/of worry and waste of good weather
I love this: “and by soil, I mean/that part of me you might call/soul” and how “I mean” acts as rhythmic punctuation
something to race through, my what a rush
Wonderful, Pauletta! Fantastic to have you on Lexpomo again.
Beautiful poem of why and how! For some strange reason, the “I mean” put me in mind of Arlo Guthrie and Alice’s Restaurant.
Ditto 💙🙏
Love this, Pauletta.
You move us beyond the mean and median of figures to the meaning underlying all.