I'm sitting under a canopy of dark green leaves I don't recognize the breed You come forward and tell me that a new law has already been discovered What goes up must eventually come down The first time I recited one of my poems aloud I drove through the page leaving skid marks shaped like tongue twisters No one paid attention and when I stepped off to catch my breath I threw up a mouthful of apple seeds that I later dug into the backyard I moved out before i saw any growth but I promise something rose from the dirt, crooked and shy at first A medley of anxious nail-biting and approval-seeking I once knew the secret, the all note worthy testimonial to a meaningful life But the soup has grown timid and uncertain of where it will go when it no longer holds anything A toothbrush is born from underneath my skirt is this cleaning the slate?