Smell the Soil

“Abstract Soldier” by Greg Pitts

 

 

in the corners of soil
squared shoulders cut
into the fit of their fate
corners cut to receive
cornered caskets of
youth who were cut
to believe that the
smell of a man cut
by fear is the smell
of a coward a man
to be cornered and
cut from the ranks
so as not to dilute the
acute smell of duty

San Marzano

“The Eruption of Mt Vesuvius”
Painting by Pierre-Jacques Volaire
From artnc.org

deeply enriched

by the death of Pompeii

ideally positioned

between sun and sea

propagation of nutrients

two thousand years

in the making

six feet of volcanic black soil

the plains of Neápolis

yielding their lush

Greco-Roman abundance

to modern Italian cuisine

plum tomatoes par excellence

reaching status of staple

in simmering sauces

of global gastronomy

here in America

Sundays with pasta

have never been better

delight born of danger

contentment conduced

from catastrophe

Not at All

“Flower Painting 2011”
Painting by Mario Zampedroni
From deviantart.com

the child knows the flower
delights in the running
of handfuls of dirt
through her fingers

she understands naught
of the seed and its role
in the intermediacy
between blossom and soil

but what does it matter
it would seem not at all

the woman knows of love
and delights in the feelings
of tingling skin halting breaths
and the skip-beats of heart

she understands naught
of the heart and mind nexus
of its intermediacy
between selfness and selfless

but what does it matter
it would seem not at all

Garden Soil

“Out of Darkness”
Painting by Marina Petro
From dailypainters.com

tiny estate
soil sovereign
ripened by
glacial
millennia
loamy milieu
here to hand
wanting thirsty
new plantings
new seed
and new sun
all the colors
of earth ever
seen remain
cherished
in eras of
memory
eager to
burst with
explosive
emotions of
blossoms
and leaves
more than
ready to love
even weeds
even men
in their dotage
on knees
filling hands
with the dirt
and decay
the rich
detritus
time has
invested with
powers to
bring forth
new life
from the old

Transaction

Photo from
fitfoodcoach.com

figures scribbled down sides
of brown paperbag lungs
readjusted to inhale the
change in the air late sown
produce marked down to
reflect crisp demands made
by autumn all harvest sales
final their seasonal clearance
will empty the fields giving
pause for the earth to refresh
with a deep-drawn exhilarant
breath full of savory purchase
invested with redolent tang of
October aromas conducive to
turning for sleep well disposed
to forget wayward summers