Sara Rose Lieto
Bending
When I think of being okay,
I think of the hard stalk of lavender
and the way we separate the petals
to smash them into purpose.
When I look up how
to fix my muddled,
unweeded mind,
the Internet tells me to
steam lavender,
smell lavender,
rub lavender,
fuck lavender
until I become the purple,
bruised pulp so kneaded
and wet that there is
no space for anxiety
until anxiety is the mushy
soil I grow from, fertilized
by years of thought
and wet from the downpour,
my stem bending under
the weight of its flowers.
Sara Rose Lieto is a poet, artist, and software engineer based in Cambridge, MA. Outside of writing, she spends her time learning about flowers, climbing rocks, and making zines about empathy. You can find her online at www.sararoselieto.com.
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