GOOF
︎︎︎ Zoe Contros Kearl
︎ Oct 21, 2024
I’m trying to learn how to give less away—
New England, all stoicism, stone walls built
by hand hundreds of years ago, now mossed,
promises and shoes tied the wrong way.
One night dead late wake in darkened
room: on the ribcage, a tick swollen
with my own blood. Rilke in springtime,
louvered windows, tactile nature, in fear
I pull it wrong, head and pincers lodge,
WebMD says “mouth parts,”
trade the ice for the itch.
At Town Meeting kick snow from Muck boots,
thumb budget documents, adverts, page
upon page of why how when. Soon, tend
the land, mulch and prune, repair rot, sand
and paint old eaves, wave
at each passing car.
—I am obvious, easy, new
growth follows each cutting.
New England, all stoicism, stone walls built
by hand hundreds of years ago, now mossed,
promises and shoes tied the wrong way.
One night dead late wake in darkened
room: on the ribcage, a tick swollen
with my own blood. Rilke in springtime,
louvered windows, tactile nature, in fear
I pull it wrong, head and pincers lodge,
WebMD says “mouth parts,”
trade the ice for the itch.
At Town Meeting kick snow from Muck boots,
thumb budget documents, adverts, page
upon page of why how when. Soon, tend
the land, mulch and prune, repair rot, sand
and paint old eaves, wave
at each passing car.
—I am obvious, easy, new
growth follows each cutting.
Zoe Contros Kearl is a writer and editor raised in Texas and based in Vermont. Recent writing can be found in Action Books Blog, Los Angeles Review, Maudlin House, Tupelo Quarterly, and elsewhere. ZCK currently serves as Editor for American Chordata Magazine and works in solar energy.
Also by ZCK: SEPT 5
Also by ZCK: SEPT 5