sunday

i’ve been leaf picking for some hours, for some hours searching for tangible evidence,

clearing the backyard for my son, his soccer, for the winter that’s upon us,

compromising my back & my nose, my unseasonal allergies,

filling bag after bag with leaves, branches, with the aftermath of fall’s annual beauty pageant,  

hoping fruitlessly but not needlessly, while getting down & dirty,

to bump into an untapped supply of happiness & not just worms, rocks, & broken glass

i’m almost done & the backyard is slowly starting to look up to par

but my body has also started to ache, to fuss, to wane,  

to wish it were that easy to see results in other areas of life after merely a few hours

of work, of commitment,

if i were a woman i would be screaming by now for a shower & a manicure

c. a. campos, 2012