Perfection
I begin today with the perfection of small radishes
each earthbound globe
an unseen adventurer
in the underland, welcoming
this spring’s raised bed –
moist soil friable, worms’ tender reach
delicate root threads grow stretch
descend
We can’t be too careful with courage
with joy
to keep each small living creature
intact, naked, fearless, two heart-shaped leaves
a hint of red bulb, white net of rootlets
clustered in the cup of one hand, small plants
this tangle of seedlings, a slow exploration
of separation, thinned, moistened
returned to waiting soil
in the welcoming breath
of this only day
a promise of rain, misted brush cool
on my sleep-warmed cheeks, ferns quicken
push their tight curls out of earth
becoming
We can’t be too careful with what falters
with hope
My weary hands plunge into dirt,
fingertips cautiously probe, touch tendrils,
new shoots, what comes regardless
in Spring
in the mornings, soil, small plants
perfection. Everything returns.