Na Po Wri Mo – April 7 2023

Today, it’s all about the list and how a list can inspire a poem.

Here is a list of instructions.

Instructions

Put down your screens and stand up. 

Go into the heart of the forest.

Lie face down on the ground.

Smell the rotting undergrowth,

the musk of creatures unseen.

Feel the fallen leaves warm 

your swollen belly.

Smile at the earthworms rising 

through the undergrowth to greet you.

Tell them how exhausted you are.

Now imagine their world.

How they wriggle and squirm,

passing the decomposing scrub

through their tubular form.

Think about them pulling 

dead leaves deep into tunnels,

breaking them down to feed

all that grows in the forest. 

Now you know how sacred 

the earthworm is, get up.

Go home and be grateful.