Wearing my apron – a poem by Amelia Díaz Ettinger

Wearing my apron

as i weed my vegetable garden 
the air has cooled and the sun has faded

my chickens cluck near
waiting for a green morsel—weeds

i watch their heads bob as they walk
and a bubble of a smile pulls me away

from weeds, they stay on roots
of kale, carrots, and earthworms

the chickens’ song, that is somehow
reserved for the wheelbarrow,

like it, rusted, with holes as big as my fists
those are the moments

while wearing a worn blue apron
that i know the only thing that counts, 

if only briefly,
—is joy

Amelia Díaz Ettinger is a Latinx BIPOC poet and writer. Amelia’s poetry and short stories have been published in anthologies, literary magazines, and periodicals. She has an MS in Biology and MFA in creative writing. Her literary work is a marriage of science and her experience as an immigrant. Presently, she resides in Eastern Oregon.