The Stages Of Watering A Dead Plant
The first step is to not admit defeat.
Even as green turns to brown
and the leaves curl inward,
you must cling to delusion.
The soil will accept the water,
at least for a while.
It will join you in looking away
as you fill half a teacup at the kitchen sink
and upend it into the pot.
After a few days, though, the embarrassed soil
will release its burden onto the dish below.
This is the crucial moment,
as you dutifully carry the dish back to the sink,
then open the curtains
to bathe the corpse in light.
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25 November 2023
Charlottesville VA
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