Land Tells You of Its Composition

Land Tells You of Its Composition

Land tells you of its composition
as it touches the bottom of your boot.

Grit of sand and damp soil,
consistency of wet coffee grounds.
Slick mud clutching a handful
of last year's strands of grass.

Ridged squares of pavement, pockets
of decay noted in the sole
by the sharp solidity of pebbles.

This information is collected
without thought,
is integrated in the body's stride.

Moving measures what does not move.
The body answers with pressure, precision.