We need to break up
the soil, i heard
someone say, to keep
growing the garden we need to break up the soil
together, to press
our palms into the hot dirt
after a rainstorm until i
feel my fingers in the soft body
of the earth & my
lover’s breath on my cheek like summer breeze
on the stalks & we gather
ourselves together for compost
in the bin with the fruit peels
i’ve licked deliciously bare
of this sweetness we keep growing.
Jenna Mather is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where she studied English and creative writing. Her work has been published in boats against the current, Bitter Melon Review, and Blue Marble Review. With her work, she aims to untangle the complexities of love, womanhood, and the writing life. On any given day, you can find her in a coffee shop—or online at @_jennamather and jennamather.com.
