A work in progress 

No one calls the river 
     Lazy 
with derision. 

Nor is the goldfish 
With her ten second memory
      Forgetful. 

The saguaro
Who takes 50 years
To sprout a limb,
Is she—
       Unmotivated?

A weeping willow 
        Too Emotional
A quaking aspen a 
        Coward


The songbirds between my ears
create a chorus with these words. 

I am
    Lazy

They sing. 

I am 
    Too emotional

The strains float into the darkest hollows 
Of my bones

Unmotivated
Cowardly

I watch a butterfly flit by with the speed of my thoughts
Her wings fluttering inconsistently without pattern or reason. 

Ditsy. 
Distracted. 
Uncommitted. 
Inconsistent. 

Does she hear the chorus in my body? 

She soars and struggles and 
Lands for a moment
Her chrysalis long gone. 
Her metamorphosis complete 
Her whole self 
Beautiful. 

The songbirds pause to take in air. 

I enter my chrysalis 
The chorus dissolves
Dissipates

And I rebuild.