by Emily Amos Wood
The wind blows so branches build resistance
It rains so they can grow
Dogs teach us how to love one another
The night is neuter
Smell of the autumn season
Rustling of the leaves
Trying to see the person the way I see the tree
What’s a difference, really
A single star
The safety of dim sight
The relief to be walking off
Pain of my blistered heel
[Resistance]
I walk slowly
Through my breath I forget it entirely
For the generosity of flowers
Cultivated in a yard
This ground supports me
Mother Earth supports me
But I’m losing the focus
And the more I resist
The more I need it at all