Waiting for Eden

 WAITING ON EDEN

True to her namesake, Eden 

is testing our patience

and taking her time. 

Contractions are present and plenty 

painful, but not yet drawn

close enough to merit

grabbing the go-bag. 

To keep us busy, Em and I 

drop seeds into egg crates, 

tucking them in with 

a soft press of our pinkies,

then go outside despite the February chill

to row the soil for Spring.

I try to tell her what's about to happen,

but she's only two

and my words are stuck gestating

in the dark of inner rooms

and come out looking differently

than I'd imagined them.

What I wanted to say

is that they're slow, these preparatory 

labors. For all we know 

we may still be here 

come nightfall, seeding, shaping, 

hoeing, weeding, waiting.