Bernadette Wagner. Author. Editor. Poet. Mentor.
Amuse bouche: samples to whet the appetite
Recent Writings
Weeding the Garden
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I start at the outside edges
where the light is bright, work in
on a spiral toward darker parts.
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Perennial grasses push
the edges of my patience, rampant
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root re-generation overtaking beds of
meditative practice where once insight
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blossomed purple, fuschia, yellow.
I dig deep. A garden fork
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perpendicular to the ground,
tines prying as I angle up
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releasing long-held tears.
Toss the clump
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into rusted wheelbarrow,
push it to the compost heap.
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From The Dry Valley (Radiant Press, 2019)
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On the shore
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You hurry the children
through snack time
jammie time
story time
to bed time
sneak peeks at my legs, bare
in your mind as my suitcase empties
until we goodnight the children and you
slow
purposefully
remove each item
and drop to the floor
my sweater, skirt, and blouse
but the stockings
you toss to the ceiling
settle on our bedside lamp
shimmer like watergrass
on the shore
of this hot place.
From This Hot Place (Thistledown Press, 2010)