uprooted by eva gelman

and so the lake became the river
and the catholic church became the catholic college

became the city outside

and i stayed put 

as the ground beneath me turned

one hour ahead

a thousand miles east

and to grow roots is just a beautiful way

to mutilate oneself

and i barely have it in me

to feed myself

not enough to feed the earth

or let the earth feed me

and so to call myself uprooted

would be a lie 

and to grow roots---a nuisance

and to go home---an ugly way to die.