Moving back to within the b-line means
acquiring attire befitting the lifestyle.
Work-fleece with a burn from July’s campfire,
brown stain from the new deck,
blood from some unremembered injury.
Job-fleece printed with leaves and trees
to display my ecological awareness,
recycled from eBay to show disdain for consumerism
and assure my assertion as a minimalist is true.
Dress-fleece in light colors to be worn
to outdoor weddings in the spring or cool breeze,
dark colors for a fall memorial service
by the lake or in a cathedral of pines,
paying respect to nature and the loss.
These fleece pass through phases
like the seasons,
unable to go back and become
what they once were.
Deb is a graduate of Paul Smith’s College in Forestry who went on to become a land surveyor in Western NY before returning to the Adirondacks. She is now an assistant professor of Environmental Studies at PSC, active on and off campus. She lives in a tiny house with her fish, cat and elder dog.