Ode to the Cocklebur
Prickly-fruited poison in the sunflower tribe
invasive of the daisy family coating the dogs’
fur, caught on sweaters, knotted in my hair
only denim and canvas impervious
to your lack of care which vessel carries you
into the future. Ever the cuffed ankle, tender
envelope between ribbed sock and opening of shoe
are subject to the closeness of you. I have
picked you from bodies, finger-brushed the crumbling
petals of your shed housings, shook them from damp
unraveled clothes and given up on soft, on delicate –
all woolen things. Still you cling to me, though I was never
enough to hold you. You don’t know when the traveler
has gone, only that another will come by to carry you on.
published in Appalachian Review, Volume 51, Issues 1 & 2: Winter/Spring 2023