I matter in dust particles,
in crossed bridges and flooding rivers. I matter
in carbon vapor and last chance
inhales. I matter to the pollen
in nasal passages, in dirt remains
caked beneath toenails—
the exoskeleton fragments
of passing. My matter resists. It pushes
into daylight—a dove’s blurred wing,
a parachute fluttering and cutting
into atmosphere. Pressure peels
threads from my skin, unravels
into streams of floating string.
This is how
I dive.
Trish Hopkinson has always loved words—in fact, her mother tells everyone she was born with a pen in her hand. She has been published in several anthologies and journals, including Stirring, Chagrin River Review, and The Found Poetry Review, and her third chapbook was published by Lithic Press in 2017. Hopkinson is co-founder of a regional poetry group, Rock Canyon Poets, and Editor-in-Chief of the group’s annual poetry anthology, Orogeny. She is a product director by profession and resides in Utah with her handsome husband and their two outstanding children.