my friend the session drummer says cultures are shaped by 7s. on his porch in pots are

his grandmother’s poppies. transplanted after her wake. each plant 70 years old. each bulb

has the potential to multiply over time but some never do. what makes a good drummer

they ask ginger baker. time. my friend closes youtube on his phone and agrees. he lists the ages

he can inhabit as though no time has passed. but it has. intervals are a way of backing into

what already exists. love is king.

Steve Barichko is from Connecticut. His first full length poetry collection, Apocrypha, is due out later this year. He is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Find him on Insta and X @stevebarichko.