Humus

Elizabeth Zetlin
From:   Taking Root. Seraphim Editions

on the ground
of the earth
hence physically
thence morally
lowly
whence humble
as in humdrum
close to humour
adopted from the Old French to be moist
as with tears of laughter
succulent, juicy
akin to the Sanskrit he sprinkles
and perhaps the Old Irish for urine
so you can see it's not just
a brown or black substance
resulting from decay
but an essence that urges
us to slosh about
laughing and crying and paying homage
to all the lowly things of the earth
as in hollyhock
holstein
halibut
human

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one of the "Gourd Poems" from Taking Root, Seraphim Editions

Poem 1 | Poem 2 | Poem 3 | Poem 4 | Poem 5 | Poem 6 | Poem 7

Elizabeth Zetlin's works copyright © to the author.