“Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos.”—Pablo Neruda
You do a handstand, my girl
And this is how the world looks now
Mountains the soft blue underbelly of the lake
Birds skimming the ceiling like rocks on the water
Fingers becoming roots in the dirt
The bird lands on the arch of your white foot
This is how the world looks now,
With love to support you,
Your knobby knees become knots in tree branches
Toes curling and uncurling into flowers
The bird sings your skirt into bark
Trees never die
As long as there are cherry blossoms
You are in full bloom, my girl
And when the petals fall
They will be retrieved by fair girls in gingham dresses
Brought in baskets to the river
Which shines like eisenglass in the morning
