A FOREST OF A HOME
i want to live in a house
filled with plants
i want to bask in the warm sunlight
of an open window
and feel the cool breeze against my cheek
on a summer’s day
i want vines to drape across open doorways
and sunflowers
to greet my guests at the door
i want baby’s breath
to scatter their discarded buds on the floor
sprinkling my home in a little more love
and a little more hard work
and a little more happiness
i want succulents springing up
on every windowsill
i want rainy nights on the porch
talking to the trees
and looking out at the desert
on the horizon
in dreamy nostalgia
and i want the weeping willow like the one
i used to know
to dry its tears for a moment
if just to look at the setting sun
—from 2019 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
__________
Why do you like to write poetry?
McKenzie Renfrew: “I write poetry because it serves as an emotional and creative outlet for me. I use it to put my feelings and thoughts into words. I also use it as a form of storytelling. Usually, I experience something, or someone I know does, and I feel the need to pass it on. Another reason is that I don’t want others to feel like they are alone in their struggle. I want them to know that their emotions are justified and are important to recognize (as opposed to bottling them up).”
