Plate Tectonics



For now, I have decided to not decide.
I trace the distance between us
on newspaper weather maps.
We are two inches apart.

I bundle myself in
warm-from-dryer blankets,
thinking of high school science,
picturing continents billions of years ago
refusing to remain stationary,
drifting and colliding until
north touched
west touched
south touched
east as a poorly folded road map.

My reluctant roots could be roused
by grinding plates, earthquakes, pumping lava,
steam rising from the ocean.
I listen to wind and crickets,
waiting for tremors.
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Submitted on May 01, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

26 sec read
25

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXX XAXXXXBBBX XXXAX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 523
Words 87
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 10, 5

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