by Holly Threm Goslin
As kids
we plucked white clover
weaving stems into bracelets and crowns.
They were flowers, not weeds: regalia befitting
the Childlike Empress in her layers of pearlescent white.
Chiggers pierced bare skin (unnoticed at the time) as we sat
cross-legged in soft, dense patches of possible four-leaf clovers.
Don’t stay cooped up. Take a walk outside. Commune with nature.
Make a bracelet of inverted duct tape (sticky side exposed).
Explore your yard for fallen leaves, petals, feathers and
add them to the tape. Leave wildflowers for bees.
Don’t wallow in isolation-imposed grief;
Instead, be productive while you
stay home.
Holly Threm Goslin is a faculty member, writer, and animal rescue advocate. Recent work has appeared in The Dewdrop, HoneyBook, Ruminate Magazine, and Cave Region Review. She lives in the southern U.S. with her husband and dogs. Varada J.M. is a 9th-grader based in Kerala’s Koyilandi, studying at Rani Public School, Vadakara. After hurriedly doing homework, Varada divides her time between practicing classical dance and watching horror films. She loves dogs but nobody at home wants one.
Global Poemic 