my eyes measure a criss-cross of carnations

circling the exact center of the window sill
I imagine you crawling your hands like a spider walking
a centimeter this way, a centimeter that way
a pause, a smile, yes, precisely
did you know
this is one of the things I adore about you?
the mattering of small things
when you walk through a cemetery
spy a fallen flag
an upended wind chime
a breeze blown spray of silk flowers
in one swift movement
you right them all
an ordering of the remnants of love
the proof
this lived this died this mattered



Kate LaDew is a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BA in Studio Art. She lives in Graham, NC with her cats Janis Joplin and James Cagney.