Dust to Dust by Sarah Hill

I am made of ancient oak trees

of lions and tigers and spare tires
old rubber gathering older dust that
has spent its whole life floating through fingertips and vacuums
I am made of spiderwebs, oranges, shipwrecks
and the abandoned beach ball that got stuck on the roof that one time
I am not new
I am ashes to ashes to ashes to
my great grandmother
who was made of purple heather and dust
my hands haven’t touched this world before
but they’ve been here from the start
hiding in flowers and storm drains
in the birds and the bees drunk on honey
lurking at the bottom of Pringles cans
trapped in the wind that rattles the snake
I have been waiting for some combination of chance and fate
for my parts to be assembled
but my instruction manual is still stuck on a roof somewhere