My vision\u2019s full of holes–the empty cup<\/p>\n
of earth beside the river where the boulder lay, <\/span><\/p>\n thin footprints in mud, the shoulder of ice<\/span><\/p>\n on the lawn with caves of air. \u00a0I ache <\/span><\/p>\n for warmth, shuffle into soft bits <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n of forgetfulness. \u00a0On a hook in the entry, <\/span><\/p>\n his worn brown sweatshirt cradles the hoe.<\/span><\/p>\n I slip it on, step into fertile air, make a row. <\/span><\/p>\n I kneel in dirt, dropping small seeds.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another spring. \u00a0Tongues of snow slip<\/span><\/p>\n back into the woods. \u00a0The earth<\/span><\/p>\n turns up rocks, leaves, a rusty worm,<\/span><\/p>\n the mole\u2019s small bones. \u00a0The gravel rakes<\/span><\/p>\n hard, scratches into piles. Raw green leaves<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n of skunk cabbage push up, turning<\/span><\/p>\n for a bit of sun. \u00a0The dog paws over<\/span><\/p>\n the soil, eager for what\u2019s below —<\/span><\/p>\n pine cone, severed root, shriveled fern. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n My knees leave twin hollows. \u00a0The earth packs <\/span><\/p>\n down beneath my palm, moist, expectant.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Published in:<\/p>\n Blast Furnace, Vol. 5, Issue 2<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My vision\u2019s full of holes–the empty cup of earth beside the river where the boulder lay, thin footprints in mud, the shoulder of ice on the lawn with caves of air. \u00a0I ache for warmth, shuffle into soft bits of forgetfulness. \u00a0On a hook in the entry, his worn brown sweatshirt cradles the hoe. … <\/p>\n