Adventures in the Word

In our t-shirts and grubby jeans
my boys and I walked out like farmers,
out to our backyard plot – newly spaded, bean
seed packages in hand and ready to plant.

It must have been a Saturday morning, late
in May – the air warm and fresh on our faces,
the soil still dark from where we had tilled it just last night –
and I was hoping to have a talk about the secrets of seeds.

The oldest one wasted no time ’cause he had done it before.
He took the hoe – taller than he was –
and drug it along behind him and across the soil.
He made the furrows long, but wiggly – about like he was.

The youngest one stooped with me and one by
one we neatly laid the beans, smooth and white, in their narrow grave,
“spaced two to three inches apart,” just like it said.
I thought: but he’s too young to know what even comes next or why.

The middle son came along behind us on
his knees, and buried the beans with his hands
and smoothed and crumbled the clods over –
never to see those seeds just that way again.

We walked back to the ‘barn’, shovels and hoes on our shoulders,
our jeans blackened with earth. Now was my last chance:
I wanted to explain this mystery, but – I sighed and told myself
to let it just sink in; one day, they’ll grow up and understand.

– David Herin

I cut my finger the other day while I sliced a tomato
and for a second or two I didn’t feel it,
but the blood ran down a much darker hue on
the skin of the January, hothouse fruit.

I dropped the knife and grabbed my finger
closed, the pain – sharp as the real blade – made
its own second stab and my stomach refused
to loose my grip and look at how deep it was.

My murmured moans and movements must have
made my friends feel the pains too ’cause
quickly they crowded in to be close enough
and even one dared to gently pry my fingers back to see.

Blood dripped down when he pulled back the halves –
it made little red pools on the countertop, and he said
“it’s deep, but at least I can’t see the bone,”
and sealed it shut and held it up high with his own

and then, my friend, with expert hands, poured in peroxide
and blew on the burning and soothed it with salve
and dexterously pulled a bandage around
and at last my finger, cocooned, felt safe.

Then he covered my hand with his
and he prayed while it throbbed in time with his words,
and as his hand lingered on for just a second best card consolidation credit deal0 card credit interest ratebest card credit interest rate,best credit card interest ratecard chase credit studentcard citi credit studentapplication card citibank credit onlineaqua card credit ukapplication card credit mbnaapplication canadian card credit visaapplication bank card credit orchard? ?,direct merchant bank credit card application,bank credit card application0 apr for life credit card,0 apr credit card,0 fixed apr credit cardlow apr student credit card,low apr credit card uk,low apr credit cardbad credit credit card ukconsolidate credit card payment,consolidate credit card,card card consolidate consolidate credit credit debad credit card applicationcard credit credit get history no,no credit history credit card,card credit credit history no peoplelow fixed interest credit cardcard credit debt help saveairline credit card,asiana airline credit card,hawaiian airline credit cardjuniper bank credit cardcapital one credit card customer service,capital one credit card,pay capital one credit card billcredit card debt consolidation companyapplication approval card credit instantshell credit card account,shell credit card center,shell credit cardbad business card credit creditcard credit number validationmy premier credit card accountcredit card debt consolidate itcredit card free balance transfercard credit online processing service,credit card processing service,card credit merchant processing servicebad card credit debtbank card credit ge moneynon profit credit card debt help,need help with credit card debt,card credit debt helphsbc credit card,application card credit hsbc,card credit hsbc offshorecard credit machine wirelesscredit card services,credit card merchant services,credit card customer servicebalance card credit introductory transferbank card credit secureddebt reduction credit card consolidationfirst premier bank secured credit card,bank card credit premier,1st premier bank credit cardapplication bad card creditsecured visa credit cardbank of america credit card,america bank bill card credit pay,bank of america credit card loginvisa credit card application statusfree credit report no credit card,free cell phone no credit card needed,free credit cardvirginia credit card debt solution,credit card debt solutionapplication business card credit smallapply card credit discovervisa credit card offer,card credit offer visacard credit ge online services or two,
I thought I felt a third hand silently healing too.

– David Herin