Living Through
Reddit says rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
We set the house thermostat to 40 degrees. Our elasticity stretches
from basement to attic. We bend like sweetgrass
in a weaver’s nimble hands, become baskets capable
of holding opposing thoughts in safe spaces.
We learn that trust can germinate within walls that breathe,
that animosity dissipates through forgiving cracks.
This. This is how we survive in a world grown rigid.
Ice the wound. Sip from the deep well.
Let our aching feet rest in a tub of cool water,
feel our coiled selves loosen, spring back.
About the Author: Ann Weil’s poetry appears in Best New Poets 2024, Pedestal Magazine, RHINO, Chestnut Review, DMQ Review, Maudlin House, 3Elements Review, and elsewhere. Weil is the author of Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman (Yellow Arrow Publishing, 2023) and Blue Dog Road Trip (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, 2024). A four-time Pushcart nominee, Weil lives with her husband in Ann Arbor, MI.
Image Credit: Santeri Viinamäki “Red Rubber Bands” (2019) Creative Commons image courtesy of Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 4.0
As It Ought To Be 
