We Were Not Consulted

We couldn’t say 
            the yes that would loosen 
                        our grip, tutoring us 
            in doing without. 
Some things were simply snatched away. 

We also don’t recall being asked 
            about our birth, 
                        what raw materials, 
            which cells 
would fashion our identity. 

We certainly couldn’t claim 
            the timing of our death 
                        nor the means 
            of our taking leave. 
These things were not offered 

for our choosing 
            So we dig in, 
                        learning to unearth 
            our own happening, 
upturning the soil 

until our fingers feel 
            the under tendril-crawling 
                        and our eyes decide 
            the leafy 
turning toward.