Gardeners Also

We are also gardeners
           planting seeds in this palm
           scratch scratch scratching the
surface we hash lines       sinews
run through pockets of fat-lined muscle
      marked with
                salmon scale boundary
Pockets    rich in sustenance
                      providing for 
endless giving

           Marrow surges in streams
seeds of the past tumble in
                      dark memories
Histories foam with guilt and shame
           beware the crow
           and his endless surging     aerating
Tender soil
           habits worm to the surface
           every holiday season
                 I plant more
                 of the same seeds.

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I woke up this morning
to find seeds in my palm
scratching the surface 
scratching the dust they 
remain just out of reach 
sinews like rivers snake 
deep below and crown like
the tree holding fast to memory
the air is frozen and i’ve 
begun to foam at the mouth
looking for answers i reach
the fat-lined muscle marked
by salmon scale and pockets
of gold pockets of giving
stretching for the morning
light the crow balances on 
my fingertips and tries like 
so many before him to dig
up the seed, surging endlessly 
and only too happy to find
the worm of tireless habits