1. Find a symbolic object

         The pristine
leather bookmark
you made me—

2. Pick a place outdoors with meaning

Remember
how I got poison
ivy on my mons?

3. Name five things around you as you align yourself with the Earth. Think about the reality of the relationship, not what you hoped it could be

Red dirt                   oak leaves,
jasper          poppies
beer
can
I crush         hope
& stay alive?

4. Dig toward forgiveness

I want the chance
to pardon 

your neck
under my shovel

5. As you place the object in the hole, thank it for all it taught you

Do you also miss
the mistakes you could make
when you didn’t know better?

6. Cover it with soil. Meditate on the distance between you and the object

Isn’t it strange
I can say
it is there
to mean here
or far away—
you were always in two places

7. Observe the location of the object’s new home. Notice how this feels in your body

37.1679439, -121.6521266

8. Honor yourself for letting go

In case you’re reading
this & want to
hold on to it
for a while