until they wither and die
one day i want to
walk to a field some
where
where i will bring
everything i do not need
in order to live.
and in this field i will
dig a hole
and i will bury
all the unnecessary things in my life.
all the vhs tapes
the lps
the dress shoes
and boots of spanish leather
the pictures of owls
and airplanes
purchased at thrift stores
over the years
the books
the action figures
from my childhood
ponda baba and dash rendar
the nicks
the knacks
the typewriters
the newspapers
and so on.
every last trophy of selfishness
every monument to material
all the wants
in place of the needs
i will cover everything with soil
pack it tight
rake it
and i will sow the seeds
to plant a garden
on top of the cache
and in weeks
or months
up will grow queen annes lace
from between american werewolf in london
and the empire strikes back
lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven
will yield white daisies
morning glories will lay down
their roots beside
bookends and bridge over troubled water
franny and zooey
or hot water music
will produce ladies slippers
or chrysanthemums
and they will flourish.
children will come to the garden
with their mothers
and they will dance and play
atop the relics of my selfish past
between the petals and stalks
of the beautiful present
they will laugh and smile
amid my materialism
and self-centeredness.
they will pick the dandelions
whose roots lay in a twelve inch
darth vader doll's chest
and they will give them to their
mothers who will take them home
and treasure them
putting them in vases
or on windowsills or
dining room tables
until they wither and die.
oh - to part with the things of this world
in such a way
the earthly possessions
that so often posses us
the things that capture
our attention our
time our money.
just to be free
in such a way.
oh to be free.
