earth note 335

fog divides
like a ravine
chooses
which side
to be on

there aren't many

black cherry left
to be cashed in
so now they're digging
into the womb

every breathing lung

tells a life story
immersed in micro soot
chemistry becomes
your diagnosis

a doctor's notepad
is not legal tender
this valley
is set to be trampled
one more time

choose your side

--- e b bortz

(published in earth notes and other poems, Least Bittern Books, 2015)