EXACTLY AS MUCH

Olive Franklin


as a butterfly longs to tangle with the clean
dawn air        as a fallen earring seeks out
the dark openings of drains        as spaghetti turns weak
for boiling water        as plums nestle pits
as fingers anchor palms        as all small, dark
things that choose to hold each other
as fungi lash their roots together        as pebbles
smash each other to sand on the open beach

Olive Franklin is a writer living in London.