Emerging Poet Award Finalist:“Why Soup” by E.M. Collins

E.M. Collins has been writing poetry for nearly three decades. Her work has been featured in many prestigious literary magazines and bathroom stalls. She currently lives near Washington D.C. with her partner and children who she raises with an appreciation for soup and other acts of kindness.

Why Soup

by E.M. Collins

Because to nourish the world you must make

of yourself a delicious soup

Because small hands crave important tasks

you want to hold the knife and chop

Because the smile of discovery opens like a morning glory

and joynukes the world into ballistic happiness

Because there is no knowledge like that

of your own blood

Because band aids and the magic words of a good grownup

become a habit of healing

Because your fingers are carrots

they need dirt and sun and rain to grow

Because seasoned with a bicycle and a library card

you can taste freedom without burning your lips

Because if you sing to the beets

they’ll sing back when they meet your tongue

Because those songs will live on the wind and return to you

when you are wondering whether you’ve been buried or planted

Because your heart is a sweet potato

it can grow bigger in the darkness- like empathy

Because you’ll be so quick and gentle you’ll be able to pluck a firefly

from the sky without hurting it’s light

Because small hands and wrinkled hands seek

each other like ox peckers and elephants 

Because the first and last sense we have 

in this world is touch

Because any calendar will tell you these days are numbered

and it is only one more bedtime story after all

Because you were made to stir the pot

standing on the dictionary so you can reach

Because children who ask why 

turn into people who ask why not?

Because it is so easy to become spoiled over time

and it requires more attention to become fermented

Because children are a kind of root vegetable

you resist the casual cannibalism of the dinner table

Because it is actually a holy communion with nature

and you are nature, my love. You must eat of yourself to live