A day's observations

I'm prospecting
for glass in my backyard

I been at it an hour
and I've filled up a bowl,
small chunks of some
former tenant's broken
mirror (I can’t tell

if I'm cleaning up karma or collecting bad luck)

My hands move methodically
through the black dust
and redwood hair, around
golden tufts of grass
that make this California

(I've discovered single-direction
swipes are more productive
than a back and forth)

Though 6-ft square seems
clear of present danger
next week's wind will say that I'm not done

(By the time the square is 10-feet wide, the Asian
family next door
has torn down and reconstructed a fence.)


I'm Shelly and I'm glad to be working with you. Time to shake off our fears and get our feet wet.