Closer to the Goddess

breathing in the fertile air
she walks between the brambles
bare feet in rich, damp garden soil
womb of the flowers
skin bronzed salty
taut over muscle, bone
aches from hard work
she sweats in the sun

deep scratch on the back of her left thigh
where she was once
brightly
briefly
caressed by the barberry bush

distant gaze passes
through golden rain tree
cedar
catalpa
crimson king maple
smoke tree and locust
over phone lines
guywires
basketball backboard
cloaked in school colors
beyond the highway
the haze
the life of the city
scent of the wild blows in from the west

she knows the voices of mountains