I didn’t do this as a prose poem because, even tho I lineated it, it still reads more like prose than poetry to me.  But there you go.  Some days are better than others, and my commitment during this 100 days is not to great poetry but to writing a poem every single day.  And it will sort itself out in the end.  The point is the practice of writing and commitment.

Prayer for the Earth

The morning glories are twinning up the sunflower stem;
I help, circle them around, play keep away
with the Hibiscus they were reaching for.  I pull grass
growing despite layers of paper beneath thick mulch,
marvel at how life insists on itself.  I tell the ants to stay
outside and live another day, admire the basil’s second leaves,
pat the tomatoes protected by the proximity of marigolds.
Temperatures climb despite the breeze which plays with all
the leaves like they are best friends.  Momma cat lays in
the shade, taking the afternoon off from kittens she has
hidden somewhere and won’t tell.  A slug has mapped a
trail on the sidewalk, and I promise it a nice sip of beer.
Behind the gate a magenta clematis surprises me with its
climb up the trellis – I didn’t know it was there – it needs
more sun.  The bleeding hearts need to be cut back so
the hostas can breathe, and the dog, as always, snores,
laying next to me in the warm Spring grass.  This isn’t
going anywhere unless we all lay under the blue sky and
see what clouds have to offer, dashing in front of the wind,
shape-changers before there was a word for it. I think
that I will join them, fly up over the forest, look towards
the distant sea, say prayers for this planet I love.