Nathaniel Calhoun

pineapples

you have to weed something right away
or you jump an ugly threshold 
as it hurtles past—  
later the whole place must be dug up. 

you strain for the opportunity 
of maintenance of grooming 
and immediately 
those requirements are upon you 
and        did you want that
if several times now 
you let the weeds come back— 
watched them 
small and isolated 
thinking
those blades        and spindles 
don’t merit half a thimblefull of toil?

whatever you did this for:
love
pineapples
absolution
mitigation of pivotal risk
well
you fucked it right up.

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Nathaniel Calhoun works to protect and restore biodiversity from his home in Aotearoa New Zealand. This takes most of his time, so he always appreciates connections and support from people who can help him with his writing and its distribution. His poems have featured in a couple dozen journals from more than ten different countries; but he hasn’t yet published a chapbook or a collection. He sometimes tweets @calhounpoems.