Start Me Up by Nancy Schatz Alton
“I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love.” -Anton Chekhov
I’m in love with the way the cottonwood trees
make lines: planted perfectly
a grid
that mimics the drum beat
that kickstarts my heart
pulses my blood
alive! alive! alive!
sky spits rain-snow, snow-rain, sleet muck
March marks winter long
I need drumbeat, tree line, grid
birdsong
plucked ripe moments
large laughter
Did you know kids laugh more than adults?
I’m a laugh spy, a woman seeking laughter
a woman working to love her world
I’m grabbing onto drumbeat, tree farm, birdsong
how my youngest makes the two of us
a comfort place
give me loud songs with strong beats
the quick sandwich of comfort
the surprising grid of tree farms
in a world that harvest forests
if joy isn’t easy
make me a joy hunter
a birdsong listener
a woman in search of satisfaction
between pockets of duty and loss
my deep belly laughter sings.