The Curious Cat Killed the Bird

Gardener

My family is a mountain gardener
we plow and plant
we sow: from head to toe

but we do not harvest

Our land is full of mountains
from west to north
to south from east

but we do not climb them

My great-grandfather planted the first

he cleared the land
he sew the wood
he cut his hand
he hanged his head

and he left the rest

My grandfather planted the second

he joined a band
he burned the weed
he chopped the wood
he cooked the hand
he pricked his eyes
with knife from the backyard

and I think he was right

My father planted the third

he joined an army
shot one bullet to kill two birds
he sang my grandpa’s songs
he cooked in the same kitchen
he ate the soup from eyes that pricked

and he left me the rest

It is my turn to plant my own

so I dug the hand
chopped it with the backyard knife
ate the leftover soup

and shot another bird

My family is a mountain gardener

we plow and plant
we sow: from head to toe
we cook and eat
and we reap what was left

I am the fourth mountain.