I have a blue lagoon at my heart, a ring of coral that keeps it apart. Born from the fire that sank below the waves, I am the life that the ocean saves. I have no mountains, no high peaks to show, only sand, sun and the sea's gentle flow.

I carry your junk, and climb with grace, yet you shout in my stubborn face. I’ll give you sass, you’ll call me an A S S, but truth be told, I’ve got more class. I bray, I kick, I take no flack, but I will still haul you back.

I am the pig of the evergreens. I advise against petting me.

I push you out of bed and launch the cat. I bubble up where the earth takes a breath. I mark new starts and thaw old maps.

Sweetness crushed underfoot. The smell of neglect. Or, the imperative.