It’s time to cart away the old growth in the garden beds
the branches and stems that didn’t yield to winter
It’s time to say goodbye, finally, to last year and all that I didn’t do then
I’ll stack those dried out brown branches and set them on fire
the way I want to cart out so many belongings –
projects that would have kept me satisfied
had I actually done them,
kitchenware for the gourmet meals I never got around to making,
clothes that fit the person I was 5 years ago.