
1.
the stamen lets go—
not out of certainty,
but something close.
what it flings
won’t land today.
2.
out west
you don’t bury grief.
it breathes beneath
cracked soil
and smouldering fences.
3.
mycelium doesn’t wait
for speeches.
it works in the dark—
no praise,
no parade.
4.
lichen won’t ask permission.
it takes the stone
like a promise
never made
but held anyway.
5.
brittle, yes.
but some things break
and still keep holding on.
that’s what lichen does.
6.
death gave lichen
no calendar.
it just stayed.
kept staying
when nothing else did.
7.
me?
i’ve stopped asking
for what doesn’t come.
the sky’s got
its own story.
8.
so i wring
what little
it leaves behind.
sometimes,
clouds bleed quiet.
9.
a calyx—
not seeking meaning,
just keeping shape.
it holds breath
like it knows what’s next.