Could I Live

in the corduroy cornfield

of word  

hoeing

between sentences

the buzz song of living

slipped over

ears

could I watch word grow

every witch-way

down

wiry roots

that tender towards

earth center

that slither sideways

in orderly akimbo

tassels fresh with pollen

could I make

myself

farmer

and bee

and the summer raccoon

who climbs the high corn

whose small hands

snap

the ear

who abandons

torn silks

half-eaten cobs

from sky or road

fields undulate hills

in orderly flow

I find myself

scarecrow ragged

arms hung with straw

           wisdom’s crows

oblivious survey

the plotted rows

a cautionary tale

           stark against

           the plotted world

Ellen White Rook is a poet and teacher of contemplative arts residing in Albany, NY and South Portland, Maine. She offers writing workshops and leads Sit, Walk, Write retreats that merge meditation, movement, and writing. She also teaches ikebana, Japanese flower arranging. Ellen is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program at Lindenwood University. Her work has been published in New Verse News, Red Rock Review, Black Fork Review, New Note Poetry, Trolley Literary Journal, and more. In 2021, two of her poems were nominated for Pushcart Prize. Read more of her work at ellenwhiterook.com.