In farming it means to smooth,
to drive over the rough face
of the earth and bust
up the clods left by the blade
of the plow. There are several ways,
different tools by the same name,
chains, sharp wire,
steel discs set in rows.
You have to make several passes,
have to be thorough,
methodical. Scrubbing out
the weeds. Dragging
the last season’s dead
waste – we call it trash –
the withered stalks
and stems, roots
still clinging
to their handfuls
of earth.
READ MORE
The ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Rohingya [The Washington Post]
Myanmar government: Almost 40% of Rohingya villages are now empty [CNN]
Caitlin Gildrien is a writer and graphic designer living at the feet of the Green Mountains of Vermont. Her poetry has recently appeared in Alligator Juniper and Trumped, the first volume of the Poets Speak anthology series, as well as during the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project for August 2017. You can find her at www.cattailcreative.com.
