Oxygen
After Rust’ by Madeleine Dodge
Burial is too final, too
Deep. When I stop breathing
Cover me lightly. Let the earth
Breathe for me, inhale
Oxygen into my pores—
Exhale rust, decay,
And other adornments.
Then dust me off.
Behold the transformation
Of my raw textures, corroded colors.
Hold me up to the light. And
Return me to the hands that created me.
Lay me on the lap of the earth.
She will hold her sculpture
As she embraces us all—
A Pietá without regret.
published in Breathing Fire by Amy Wray Irish, Middle Creek Press, 2021
