first, I loaded two coolers of frozen food
from a basement freezer, as if gathering
core samples from some artic
expedition, including
four bags of brussell sprouts
a box of apple dumplings
an assortment of frozen dinners
three vacuum-packed bags of black-eyed peas
from your step-father’s garden from 2007,

and freed, with a hammer and pick,
a pasta casserole
and a bag of frosted tilapia.

my hands screened the icy water
and glacial shards across
the floor of the freezer
and into a pan. once filled, I
carried it up the stairs
and tossed the debris
out the back door beneath
the lavender bush.

later, I trimmed the stems from eight
red roses and placed them
in tap water in a vase
on the corner of the kitchen
counter.

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NaPoWriMo 2013 Day 10