You Tell Me You Want to Live Close to Nature by Joan Mazza

You Tell Me You Want to Live Close to Nature

by Joan Mazza

(published in The Mark Lit Review, August, 2021)

You plan to have acreage, a garden, pots with herbs

on every windowsill. You’ll have a dog and cat

or maybe two of each, and wildlife will gather

on your property, a sanctuary. How lovely

the fantasy of back-to-the-earth, the simple life.

I plant basil seeds in handmade flowerpots painted

with dragonflies and flowers, with potting soil I store

in the garage. The mice have other plans...