My world, up close,
Looks strangely familiar.
Apple and pear blossoms
Burst from silent limbs.
I have the Senator’s number
Memorized: 2o2-224-3121.
I call regularly to voice concern.
The young, subdued staffer
Recognizes my voice, listens
And says, “I’ll pass that on.”
A robin is bouncing around
Newly planted pea seeds.
Just looking, not taking, I pray.
The rhubarb plant’s green mitt
Widens up as if to catch
The sun’s original orb.
Inquiries to the Office of Government Ethics
From concerned citizens
Has increased 5200% this year.
I know I am not alone.
The heart of spring
Holds many contradictions.
Snow still coats the foothills
While tulips and salmonberry blossoms
Expose their frailties to warmer mornings.
This denial and bullying is not us.
We’ve degenerated to
The shadowy backside of freedom.
I walk barefoot in the cool grass
Embrace my expanded belly,
My own personal march for science
And life and beauty. I sing to
The one I am welcoming to this strange world.
How do I dodge despondency?
Where does my small voice find thunder?
I am not hopeless and I am not leaving
But I am not sure where I belong in this unwritten history.