Saved by Compost

by John Butterfield

a crate built of wooden slats

frames the detritus of the kitchen

and lets it sit the winter through, turning brown,

organically regenerating:carrot tops and beans

once I was disturbed and full of angst

roaring waves:  inner storm bound raged

and intuition and emotion clouded over

and I was hopelessly adrift and lost

I found new life and was reborn

when I committed to the compost heap

to rot with cabbage stalks and rotten apples

those destructive demons that raged within

Composting takes time

as enzymes break down

and smell so sweet that

organic matter of all sorts

compost now is a source of nurture

a source to bring food to living things

coming from the dead and destroyed

but it has to die before it can rot and be purified