Fielding

Fielding for life

You receive all animals

into you—equally

I need you breathless in my estuary

If I find you spinning,

If I find you emitting,

Then I have found something holy

and marked by light—

And I always do

When I gravitate,

I gravitate toward you—

A lamp I have no choice 

but fly into,

A remote outpost on the edge of the world,

A net hanging between buildings—

And I always do

Apology

If there is a spruce, I have climbed it

If there is a magnolia, I have held it

If there is a pine, I have felled it

If there is an axe, I have dropped it

If there is a burn pile, I have built it

If there is a tinder, I have gathered it

If there is a flame, I have lit it

If there is a coal, I have smothered it

If there is a ditch, I have dug it

If there is a hole, I have crawled in it

If there is a cavern, I have eroded it

If there is a canyon, I have carved it

If there is a line, I have stepped over it

If there is a bridge, I have burned it

If there is a rope, I have tossed it

If there is a river, I have poured it

If there is a blue moon, I have looked to it

If there is a bell, I have rung it

If there is a north wind, I have caught it

If there is a cold snap, I have brought it

If there is a long night, I have sat through it

If there is a hard time, I have gone through it

If there is a bad place, I have walked through it

If there is a dark road, I have rode through it

If there is a harsh word, I have said it

If there is a curse, I have sworn it

If there is a lashing, I have dealt it

If there is a tongue, I have poisoned it

If there is a mouth, I have washed it

If there is a lip, I have bit it

If there is a lie, I have spoken it

If there is a promise, I have broken it

If there is a vice, I have known it

If there is a snake, I have heard it

If there is an apple, I have tasted it

If there is a sin, I’ve committed it

If there is a weapon, I have wielded it

If there is a knife, I have brandished it

If there is a sword, I have swung it

If there is a blow, I have struck it

If there is a wound, I have opened it

If there is a brow, I have beat it

If there is a bruise, I have placed it

If there is a scar, I have caused it

If there is a North Star, I have lost it

If there is a way back, I have missed it

If there is a prayer, I don’t have it

If there is a word, I would speak it

If there is a mistake, I have made it

If there is an apology, I owe it

My Higonokami

My Higonakami bright and golden

My Higonakami loyal and true

My Higonakami the warmth of my breath

My Higonakami the light of my eye

My Higonakami the flint and the tinder

My Higonakami the boot and the heel

My Higonakami the mountain before me

My Higonakami the cool winter breeze

My Higonakami the sun and the moon

My Higonakami the way and the life

My Higonakami bright and golden

My Higonakami loyal and true

My Higonokami molds the earth in its image

My Higonokami breaks the skin of the veil

My Higonakami sounds deep with the sea

My Higonakami cuts the air like a wave

My Higonokami listens close to the ground

My Higonokami hums with the thunder

My Higonakami makes beautiful music

My Higonakami sings to me

My Higonakami bright and golden

My Higonakami loyal and true

Dustin Wright hails from somewhere between the Mississippi River delta and the North Mississippi hill country. He attended the University of Mississippi and earned a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing in 2019. He moved to West Philadelphia in 2023, but his poetry can only come from Mississippi.