Stuffed animal house, Heidelberg Project, Detroit, Michigan
planting rock and tender succulents into the reluctant blood clay
stooping to tidy this oasis of weeds, leaves
heart swells proud to home
warming the brick with the coziness of pink and red plant flesh
pungent rosemary and basil
and yet,
where is the heart
where the other souls
are building their nests
heaps of rejected furniture
a box spring spray painted DIE
discarded chip and candy wrappers
tall weeds and bare dirt
chipped paint, broken and boarded windows hanging with knotted rags
unbathed dogs without tags
the roar of arguments, dirt bikes, and music
Children beating a bush with a stick
People living without an image of order
the community of poverty
making the earth of the neighborhood ugly, hurt, sad
abandoned
living despite
and maybe they are happy
but still not seeing
living despite
instead of with the earth that cradles
I don’t know how to reach into the sadness of heart
yearning to caress the entire block into a flowering feast
Without much money we can still love
have dignity, pride
in ourselves
in our belonging
to ourselves
to one another
I give my garden to my neighborhood
it is my way
of sharing my heart with the earth
with the people who live near me
and of showing to all who walk by
how this planet loves us all
gives back
when we awaken and show her our respects
