between plants and people
pine and person
we share more than
we lack.
i am the moss
you, the cacti;
i drink in the rain
you, the sun’s shine
roots buried
and absorbing below
cracked earth and
desert dust
bones and parchment and
other graveyard goods
but me, i thrive
on another planet –
the tarnished sky,
thick and drowsy
and darkened dirt,
malleable and mineral
below squelching toes
above wriggling worms –
as the heat is your hearth
and the sea your soul,
this is mine, necessary
in quenching gulps
you know that my favorite tree
is pine
my weather,
clouds
my sound,
the rain
and my favorite scent
all three
combined
i relish it, require resolutely
despite all else
maybe we are factories
or machine-made:
we can survive on
tap water and under
fluorescent light
(it’s growth all the same)
but there comes a point
when you might wonder where
we belong
we may survive
but where do you thrive?
between people and plants,
persons and pine,
the difference keeps us sane.
i am the moss, mountains
frost tipped and douglas fir needles
you are the cacti, winds
of sand and palo verde blossoms
i am the forests and you are the beaches
i am the rivers and you are the oceans
to you, my world is flooded
to me, yours is barren
while appetites differ,
in between it all,
just plants and people
pine and persons,
we are the same