Digging

Published in ICC Anthology: The Gathering 16 (2024)

I leaned too heavily on the spade, applied
unneeded force believing hardpack’s what
the spade would find. Except the beaten earth
was just a crust—merengue that fell apart,
exposing soft damp earth without a fight,
a sigh of sandy loam parting for the blade,
and then the pop of fine roots tearing from
the pressure as the spade continued down.
And I fall forward, face into the dirt.
For once begun, I could not stop myself.
Momentum of the thrust too much to break.
So unprepared for such surrender, or
how easy it would be to pierce the soft
and hidden places. I am falling still.