Box Turtle Jazz – a poem by Sarah Mackey Kirby

Box Turtle Jazz
 
I wish I could come back sometime
to this spot of woods. After
the world recovers from us.
When fires blazing
punishment have long swept
our harm into nothingness.
 
When the box turtles feast
on wild strawberries and on
the roots of nature’s return.
After the last cracks of concrete
and remnants of our indifference
have decayed to a blessed September
timpani. And the saxophone
wind blows alto jazz again
smooth into the night.
 
When the sassafras trees
burst from their sandy loam soil
belting Hallelujah through
stained glass open sky.
Where I could enjoy
the tangerine sunrise.
Breathe in the quiet.
Give an audience
to earth’s healing.

Sarah Mackey Kirby grew up in Louisville Kentucky. She is the author of the poetry collection, The Taste of Your Music (Impspired, 2021) Her work has been published in Impspired Magazine, Muddy River Poetry Review,Ploughshares,  Third Wednesday Magazine, and elsewhere. Sarah loves to cook and feel summer dirt on her hands. She and her husband split their time between Kentucky and Ohio. https://smkirby.com/