dust is the quality
of the very good beginning
when God himself knelt down, spit on the dirt
and formed a man with it, shaped in his own image;
it is elemental and breathes, or maybe coughs, immortality.
dust saves what’s leftover from
skin shed and stars reborn, the sparkle of supernovas
and the dead residue of a scratched itch or
the sunburned peelings of summer;
it is ever descending, never condescending.
dust collects furniture, uninvited
it prefers antique malls but will settle for IKEA
if left outdoors, it covers fields and raises crops,
partial neither to vegetables, wheat, nor weeds;
it is ubiquitous and determined, a silent trespasser
dust keeps ancestors hidden
under the bed or put away in the attic, remnants
of old photographs in mouse-nibbled boxes, with
or without lids, unlabeled and unorganized;
it is freedom of no longer being confined to a body.
dust is the stuff of both
our past and future; we will all eventually
return to it which means it both comforts and
frightens us at different moments or maybe simultaneously
it is morbidity and chaos buried in cool, decaying soil.
_______________
Written in the style of “The Quality of Sprawl” by Les Murray and linked to poetics prompt by Kim at dVerse Poets pub.
a poem in my pocket 
Jun 12, 2023 @ 15:36:42
Lovely take on dust.
Jun 12, 2023 @ 16:16:28
thanks, Janice 🙂
Jun 12, 2023 @ 13:38:49
This is so good, Lynn! We are nothing but dust. I love it.
Jun 12, 2023 @ 14:00:47
Thank you for your kind comments!
Jun 12, 2023 @ 14:02:32
You are welcome.
Jun 08, 2023 @ 21:03:03
“dust saves what’s leftover from
skin shed and stars reborn, the sparkle of supernovas”
We got a whole new perspective of dust here, Lynn.
Thanks for dropping by my blog.
Much💚love
Jun 12, 2023 @ 13:33:32
My pleasure, Gillena 🙂
Jun 08, 2023 @ 12:09:38
Stunning!! The imagery, depth, personification of dust. This has to be one of my favourites from you, dear Lynn.
Jun 08, 2023 @ 16:55:14
Thanks so much for your kind comments, Mish!
Jun 08, 2023 @ 03:07:24
I enjoyed reading and re-reading this poem Lynn – a remarkable spotlight on what we flick away without a second thought. I don’t think I shall ever do so again with your poem in mind
Jun 08, 2023 @ 08:09:19
Thank you for sifting thoughtfully through my dusty poem, Laura!