NewPoetry

Lana Crossman

Wanted: A reliable, hardworking
poem to work for room and board.

Must be able to lift heavy loads
and sort through the menial.

Pre-soak, heavy wash, tumble dry –
folded warm into forms that nest

in cedar cupboards, ready to be worn.
A sense of humour is an asset; honesty

a must. Ballads, villanelles, sonnet
crowns and other divas need not apply.

No, I’m looking for sturdy shoes,
calloused hands, a plain shift –

a cotton weave that, held up to a window,
maps out the constellations.