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

"this is not a poem (exactly)" Tess Ezzy this 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.Mentioned in this episode:Write After with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. If you want to join: Listen to a poem from the month of April on One Poem Only, then write your own in response. I will pick one for each day to read in June for a special series: One Poem After 🍎🍏 Submissions close May 15.Write After Submissions Form