VENERATING THE TRANSITORY
Further up on the trail is
the smell of toasted tree trunks
and a damp cold. It’s lovely.
The spontaneous nature
of fire in this area last year
was its inborn reckoning,
then, a little later, loss and
pain—their tie, a “given” by
all that breathes. Tell this: which of
our multiple mouths is the
most intimate? Is this some
thing we have to decide? I
have found there are too many
endorsements for most questions.
Further up this trail, there are
still some patches of clean snow
holding on to that singed smell.
My body recalls the smells,
the tastes, forgets the events.
Wind licks at the aspens, some
kind of birds form a cloud and
pass over. It is clear they
have a fixed destination.
Along this path are vagrant
insects and animals. The
silence is so pronounced that
I hear rocks speaking many
languages. Everything bathed
in shades of pekoe, pink,
singe, an absurd excess.
About the Author: Martina Reisz Newberry’s newest collection, Blues for French Roast with Chicory is due for publication from Deerbrook Editions in late fall, 2019. Her latest book is: Never Completely Awake (Available from Deerbrook Editions). Her work has been widely published in the U.S. and abroad. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Brian Newberry, a Media Creative.
Image Credit: “Oregon National Forest. Effect of fire” The Library of Congress
As It Ought To Be 