Scott Simpson · Poetry

Posturing

A Hush Between Seasons · printed pages 37–37

The original line breaks, stanza spacing, and placement are preserved. Long lines scroll horizontally.

Source page 37

POSTURING

I used to stand straighter

when others were watching—

chin up,

shoulders square,

like a soldier

waiting for orders

I didn’t believe in.

Now, I slouch a little—

on purpose.

It helps me feel

the pull of the earth,

the invitation

to be held

instead of praised.

There is a kind of reverence

in bending,

a quiet truth

in not needing

to be tall

to be seen.

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