She bends down to grab
an escaped napkin
from our lunch. This must
be the same motion
she makes to weed
her garden, the same
to care for the bird bath.

I have never offered to help;
never moved to spend
a morning splitting soil
between my hands
and pulling. I don’t think

I will. Though I cannot
imagine another way
to get to know her,
I cannot imagine knowing anyone
like this garden knows her.

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Michael VanCalbergh currently lives in Normal, IL. His work has appeared in, or is forthcoming from, Pastel Pastoral, Beaver Magazine, Best New Poets 2021, and many other spaces. Twitter: @MVCpoet