THE GARDENER

After working in dirt for hours
I come in, shower and lay naked
on the bed, my skin and bones
tingling with electricity and
fatigue.  It’s a kind of delirium,

the dirt, the violet energy rising
through my belly,
catching the slivers of my heart,
the music of it,
the drunken flailing

leaving me shivering behind.

2/10/05  4/1/23