Shannon K Winston

Mustard Seed

A girl glues a mustard seed to white draft paper.
She steps back to admire her work. This is my origin story,
she announces to her art teacher who will never understand her.
Later, she adds blue-eyed grasses and black hawthorn.

She steps back to admire her work. This is my origin story.
Chatter about the timid, rootless girl fills the halls.
Later, she adds: Blue-eyed grasses + black hawthorn
= my body. In my gut, that’s where alfalfa sprawls.

Stories about the timid, rootless girl fill the halls.
Her art project grows and grows into a landscape
that equals her body. In her gut, she feels alfalfa sprawl.
She works tirelessly. Apricot blossoms and sage leaf make

her art project grow and grow into a landscape
she can finally call home. How it unfurls for acres and acres
around her! Apricots, blossoms, and sage leaves make
a girl from a mustard seed. A draft on white paper.

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Shannon K Winston's poems have appeared in RHINO, Crab Creek Review, The Citron Review, the Los Angeles Review, Zone 3 and elsewhere. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and several times for the Best of the Net. Her poetry collection, The Girl Who Talked to Paintings, was recently published by Glass Lyre Press. She currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Find her here: https://shannonkwinston.com/.