Ode to Mineral Orange

the rust at the lip of the gutter

the taste of iron from a split lip

darker than citrus or daylily

the serrated copper of a penny on asphalt

brick dust

 

the tannin of acorn

arugula gone bitter with seed

cigarette ash and shoe rubber

 

the field bright with fire and sulfur

terracotta pots

the geranium drowning

gray water running marigolds toward the river

the taste of sidewalk chalk

 

the waft of paper flaking between dry leather

holy and abandoned

 

cumin on the tongue

pollen coating cars and windows

sun tea left to ripen in the open lips of the sky

dust and nightfall


Also by Hannah Marshall

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