Susan Hawthorne #224 dirt

                         for Nelly

it comes in truckloads
has to be transferred by hand
new use for dustpan
of dustpan-and-broom fame
now it's a gardening tool

we scrape dirt from the ute tray
toss it in piles
drag the dirt with our hands
toss some more

new rules for pool fences
suicidal children who might
dig like moles under the fence
are now stopped head on
by thick railway sleepers

watering system has to be
reorganised  tubes extended
plugged and tied up
cordylines tied in bunches
days of scraping and tossing
dirt to fill the garden pit
dirt between my toes
under my fingernails
feels so good