Featured Poetry

Kimberly Phinney – Body of Work

In her poem “Body of Work”, Kimberly Phinney laments the distance which has been imposed between us and our earth, spiritually and tangibly. It is a lovely flowing work that almost pleads for the good sacred connections we’ve lost as a civilization. As for those perfect lines that open this poem, Kimberly told The Dewdrop they were inspired by a statement from her five-year old daughter Hadley one evening, which served as the genesis for the poem itself.


Body of Work

She said flowers
made garden beds
with their bodies
and I wondered
what my body made
and
how I was using
the time
using my hands to haul
using my tongue to say
heaving my arms to hold
what?

and how we are flesh
and how we are soul

and yet we forget
how to grow
something gorgeous
and perennial
like lilies
like poppies
like pink thrift
in desolate places
throwing their backs into beauty
we forget

like something useful
like soil
like water
or the earthen jars
cracked and marred by their maker
caught up in the work
paying no mind to their use
we forget

have we fallen so far up
from the earth from which we came?
fallen so far
from ourselves
our Maker
we forget?

yes
we have fallen away
from this body of work
from the work of
our bodies
our souls

Kimberly Phinney

Kimberly Phinney is an award-winning AP English instructor and professional photographer. She’s been published in Ruminate, Ekstasis Magazine, Calla Press (where she is a contributor), The Write Launch, Heart of Flesh, and Harness, among others. She is also founder and editor for www.TheWayBack2Ourselves.comand a poetry editor at The Agape Review. She has her M.Ed. in English and studied at Goddard’s MFA program in Creative Writing. After almost dying from severe illness in 2021, she’s earning her doctorate in counseling and community care to help the marginalized and suffering. You can also drop by to visit her at www.PhinneyPhotography.com and on Instagram @thewayback2ourselves.

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