soil
the way you say soil
sounds like soul, as in
after we walked through the woods
my feet were covered in soul
when it rains
the soul turns to mud
the soul is made of decomposed
plant and animal matter;
edaphology is the study of the soul’s
influence on living things
while pedology is the study of how
soul is formed, its particular granularity.
you are rooted in a certain red patch
of soul that bled you and your
hundred cousins to life, a slow
warm river you call home.
maybe there is soul under everything,
even when we strike rock first.
the way you say soil you make
a poem out of every speck of dirt.
…..
From orogeny by Irene Mathieu
a birthday gift to myself.
i liked this
I have been meditating on the link between soil and soul for myself. I am carrying out a Living Wake for myself and all I have lost in this year. I am inviting people to hold soil (soul) in their hands and to whisper words of their grief/loss in the soil (soul). They will then place the soil (soul) in the garden to be washed by the winter rains.
I may read your poem leading up to this, as it speaks what has been emerging from my soul (soil).
That sounds really lovely / meaningful. I’d love to hear a follow up on how it went.