I’ll click yes for cabbage, carrots,
haricot verts. I’ll include sweet
corn, asparagus, one pink
fluffy mimosa tree and a chicken
collection. I’ll choreograph
a cute woodchuck chopping wood
for the shepherd’s crook and cradles.
A crowd of jungle and deep wood ferns,
all species, will claim space throughout.
Herons, cedar waxwing, albatross
and buffleheads will nest and raise
their young. Monkeys, rabbits, deer,
black bear, koalas, porcupines
coons and elephants will play.
Cottonwood trees will toss fluff
in fall. I’ll include a copperhead
and one timber rattler in chains.
Mica, quartz, clay, feldspar and other
flints will abound. No knats.
When the two humans leave, animals,
vegetables and minerals will wish
them well, cheer and hold a parade
in honor of the possibility of eternity.
—
Molly O’Dell loves being outdoors. She received an MFA from University of Nebraska and published a chapbook, Off the Chart, a multi-genre collection, Care is a Four Letter Verb and Unsolicited: 96 Saws and Quips from the Wake of the Pandemic was published for her public health colleagues. She currently serves as the poetry editor for the Journal of Medical Humanities. For more visit www.doctormolly.net
