Donna Spruijt-Metz

FIRST WE BECOME FLESH

— after Psalm 78 lines 26-29

so fragile—so edible
and the wings we covet—like sand 
or ashes—spread across the darkened seas.
What enters us—what is bounty—what 
is threat—the answer is wrapped in time
—our construct—how we live/or die by it
crave the imagined order of it—even though 
we have forgotten what it entails
to be seasonal—to wait 
for harvest—to be thankful—in the season 
of famine—to be grateful—even when 
we are full

Donna Spruijt-Metz is Professor of Psychology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California. Her first career was as a classical flutist. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in venues such as the Los Angeles Review, Copper Nickel, RHINO, The Cortland Review, and Poetry Northwest. Her chapbook Slippery Surfaces was published by Finishing Line Press in 2019. Find her at https://www.donnasmetz.com.