Inside Out

122 total words    

<1 minutes of reading

Only by snapping open scarlet runner bean pods

do we see they are lined with fuzz, shaped

to each vividly hued bean

like a viola case to its instrument.

Only by slicing open a trout

are its bones revealed, lined up like pews

facing the back of a moving church,

its scripture stories of what came before.

We see stars only in the darkness,

feed a flame only by burning,

fuel our bodies only with what lived.

You’d think we’d see a pattern,

yet are surprised when loss

tilts our world, lifestream

into waterfall. We’re told grief

ebbs, when all we want to do

is bring sorrow’s fullness

out in the sun’s cleansing light.

Lay it on the rocks.

Let it air.

  • Laura Grace Weldon

    Laura Grace Weldon is the author of the poetry collections Blackbird (Grayson Books, 2019) and Tending (Aldrich Press, 2013), as well as a handbook of alternative education titled Free Range Learning (Hohm Press, 2010). Connect with her at lauragraceweldon.com or @earnestdrollery on Twitter.

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