Wearing Down
He explained
erosion to her,
while on the road,
the rough face
of the earth worn
by water,
wind,
wave,
like how my palm
cupped his cheek,
his stubble scraping
the book-soft skin
of my hand.
Wide-eyed, our girl
listened, watched
mountains fly by
outside her window,
the rubber of tires
leveling tread.
Boulder
releases stone,
rock becomes
sand.
He explained
erosion to her,
while on the road,
the rough face
of the earth worn
by water,
wind,
wave,
like how my palm
cupped his cheek,
his stubble scraping
the book-soft skin
of my hand.
Wide-eyed, our girl
listened, watched
mountains fly by
outside her window,
the rubber of tires
leveling tread.
Boulder
releases stone,
rock becomes
sand.
Kersten Christianson is a raven-watching, moon-gazing, high school English-teaching Alaskan. She serves as poetry editor of the quarterly journal Alaska Women Speak. Her latest collection of poetry, Curating the House of Nostalgia, will publish in 2020 (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions). Kersten holds an MFA from the University of Alaska. www.kerstenchristianson.com