mud people
Then there were the first humans, whose job it was to offer prayer, tell stories, and remember the passage of time. Made of the clay of this earth, the mud people of the first creation did not endure; when it rained, their bodies grew soft and dissolved.
– “Creations” from Dwellings by Linda Hogan
mud people
we soft squish
puddle and
wear away
tears run rivulets
into furrows into
cracks into
crumbles
we have no hard
to hang onto
no set stone spine
instead we bend bow sway
pray palms high
heart pressed low to
earth’s chest listening
to pulse and wave
pliant supplicants
consumed by awe
all we need
is to make:
prayer / tale
sound salve
time taste
and for you to please take
what our muddy palms
hold out open
trembling
