Page 18 - Contrast1991Fall
P. 18
A FERTILE PASSING
I. II.
my heart has seen
as a child raking leaves much of Autumn. even now
and piling them in the garden. it is smothered. quilted
iloved to jump in heavy in brittle leaves
and wade chest deep
my grandma laughed (they say it's easier
With me. she taught me to bag them up and hide
to spread them all out them away in synthetic coffins.
over the broken earth but I feel such convenience
and told me how next year poisons my depths.) like grandma
those brown bits of death I'd rather do the extra work
would rot and tum
into JUicy sweet com grandma let go of her branch
Willingly and not unhappy.
(today i saw workers gathering turned blood red and blew away
leaves on the sidewalk. smashing spinning in a chilly Wind at dawn.
them into black double-strength
garbage bags. they took them i stlll hear her rustling
to the county landflll every now and again, whispering
"spread these leaves out
buried them there to stay and SOOnthis garden will
in plastic for a thousand years. feed you Juicy sweet com"
robbing the earth of the fallen
life which fllIs her breasts -Pat Blackman
and SUckles Spring. polluting instead
the deep water We drink.)
13
