Clean

Dark-eyed Junco in winter plume. Cornell Lab

To forget that the plumed juncos
winter over, then to remember,
nudged by the white strips
of perch-pose tails.
To watch the cardinals,
six pairs at once,
chase them away.
To see it was better to leave
the raised beds winter-wild,
to not cut them clean.

Then to think tidy is better,
all things to a T,
the hygienist scaling your teeth,
good job on the flossing.

To mistake an infinitesimal
for something fixed.

Clean.
“How choose?”

Noun, an error of mind.
Verb, a short reprieve.




Kevin Swanwick, December, 2025