I keep pulling the death card
upright and reversed, metamorphosis and stagnation
My favourite season is the change between them
Ice thaws, crocuses poke through mud
Blossoms give way to new green growth
Fields turn waxen and gold
Is it possible to embrace change while fearing it?
Write every reason you are alive on this earth
Wonder at how they are so many
and still not enough.
Breathe salt air. Watch wind ripple
fields of grass. Say hello to crows when they call.
Coo at baby horses, point at cows when driving by.
Know that when things die, the new harvest
is being sown.
Reap and Sow
Vanessa R. Bradley (she/her) loves fantasy novels but manages to write a lot of poetry about organs, dirt, divorce, and discovering queerness. She lives in Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island) with her wife, where she is working on a fantasy novel and a collection of poetry about the meaning of flowers. She has been published with the Adriatic Mag, Tilted House, The Wild Word, Blank Spaces Magazine, and On Loan from the Cosmos. Find her on Instagram @v.r.bradley and on Twitter @vanessarbradley.