there is little wildness left
in me
beneath it all
I feel
rhizome
full
of roots
only
sprouting stalks
into the soil
for stability
what happened was
there was a spillage
a dark pouring
into the spoil
and then
nothing
but silence and thought
and I thought
there is little wildness left
in me
what happens is
my child
my child picks
a stem of bluejoint
he holds it to the sun
its shadow
falls onto my wrist
and I pray
for it
to burn onto my wrist
and I pray
for its inflorescence
beneath my skin
what happens is
the bluejoint
the first growth
after oil spills
after the dark pouring
what happened was
my child picked a stem
of bluejoint for me
and beneath it all
a little wildness
Malene Engelund is a writer and translator. Her pamphlet The Wild Gods was published by Valley Press and she is currently writing her next book Wolf Zone. Her translation of Christel Wiinblad’s collection My Little Brother – a morning in heaven, at least in green was published by Valley Press in 2020 and it was the PBS recommended translation for Spring 2020. She lives in Copenhagen with her husband and their two sons.