2011 Issue - Santa Fe Community College
2011 Issue - Santa Fe Community College
2011 Issue - Santa Fe Community College
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
The Dirt Charmer<br />
by Dick Altman<br />
Bothering not with seeds<br />
or pots of flowers<br />
but to prove<br />
I can master trees<br />
and bushes and holes<br />
enough for burials<br />
make the ground submit<br />
no matter how dry<br />
or intransigent<br />
drive a steel bar<br />
taller than a man<br />
into hardpan<br />
as if in some<br />
killing game<br />
not digging a home<br />
to outlive<br />
the cracked hands<br />
of the planter.<br />
Such violent acts<br />
beget moments<br />
of tenderness<br />
even as I wrestle<br />
like an animal<br />
in need of calm<br />
a Colorado blue<br />
half again my weight<br />
tease the wheel<br />
of the bound-up root<br />
to its nesting place<br />
hug despite the pain<br />
branches needle-sharp<br />
<strong>Santa</strong> <strong>Fe</strong> Literary Review 21
Change language