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.