"this is not a poem (exactly)" by Tess Ezzy

"this is not a poem (exactly)"Tess Ezzythis is not a poem (exactly)but a leaf-fall of words unclaimed—(dear dirt) how softly youlistenand when wind folds the gumtrees intoparentheses (yes)what survives isbreath—a syntax of birds unsinging • meanwhile:Calla walks thru rain’s lowercaseand writes a cloud into her pocket(a sentence of dew)Orion maps stars in the dark of the page,his footnotes wet with ash • don’t say hope,say rootdon’t say beauty,say scarclimate speaks in fracture—in murmur,in shiver,in wait • the fire is (still) comingbutso ispoem(and what’s the difference,really?) More from Tess Ezzy ↓@themoodyproject_ on InstagramPoetess Press on SubstackYou can listen to me read Cross Roads by Tess @rembrandts.cure on Instagram.