I like to plant seeds in the barren lands of the Sierra,
where I walk with a bucket and watch the shining eyes
of the buckles on my sandals.
The sun scolds my commitment.
It burns my shoulders
whilst I’m
bending
and
burrowing
in the dust of abandoned relics.
The rain does not love me.
It fails to kiss me,
F
A
L
L
I
N
G
from the trunk of shadow.
Swathes of cloth grip to my skin and drip with sticky sugar.
The glucose feeds my seeds,
nourishing their heads with a bitter substance
that trickles down my leg and licks the salt off my sweat.
Day after day, I choose this labour.
At night I dream of the orange trees
and pray for the satisfaction of their thirst.
I believe in the desperate lands
that have a grip so firm on my heart
I’m starting to dream ink trees.