<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="kmwttqpk n3t5jt4f l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq gh25dzvf jikcssrz" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">In the Garden, Again</div></div><div class="kmwttqpk n3t5jt4f l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq gh25dzvf jikcssrz" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">After breaking, after kneeling,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">after raising my ripe fist, after</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">opening my palm, after</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">clenching it again, after running,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">after hiding, after taking off</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">my masks, after stilling,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">after shouting, after bargaining</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">with God, after crumpling</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">and cursing, after losing,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">after song, after seeking,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">after breath, after breath,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">after breath,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">I stand in the sunflowers</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">of early September</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">and watch as the bees weave</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">from one giant bloom to another,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">and I, too, am sunflower,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">tall-stemmed and face lifted,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">shaped by the love of light</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">and the need for rain.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">I stand here until some part of me</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">is again more woman than sunflower,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">and she notices how,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">for a few moments,</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">it was enough just to be alive.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class="">Just to be alive, it was enough.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Rosemerry Wahtola <span style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class=""><a tabindex="-1" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class=""></a></span>Trommer</div><div class="kmwttqpk n3t5jt4f l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq gh25dzvf jikcssrz" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class="kmwttqpk n3t5jt4f l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq gh25dzvf jikcssrz" style="font-size: 15px; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"></div></div></div></body></html>