Birthday Ecology
by Ben Clark
Praise, praise the nest—each unique, fingerprints
pressed between branch and sky, made of mud or
moss, leaves or lichen, fur or spider’s silk.
Celebrate the den, the burrow, the hole—
all sanctuaries, safe harbors for sleep,
hibernation, recovery, rebirth.
Worship the coral reef, the kelp forest,
the estuaries, mangroves and marshes.
Honor even the pitch-black midnight zone
and all that lives on despite the darkness.
Say thanks for our simple home—what fortune—
this roof, these walls, and the wild little ones
we live beside. Say thanks for the flora
of your hair across my chest, the fauna
of my hands finding endless comfort there.
pressed between branch and sky, made of mud or
moss, leaves or lichen, fur or spider’s silk.
Celebrate the den, the burrow, the hole—
all sanctuaries, safe harbors for sleep,
hibernation, recovery, rebirth.
Worship the coral reef, the kelp forest,
the estuaries, mangroves and marshes.
Honor even the pitch-black midnight zone
and all that lives on despite the darkness.
Say thanks for our simple home—what fortune—
this roof, these walls, and the wild little ones
we live beside. Say thanks for the flora
of your hair across my chest, the fauna
of my hands finding endless comfort there.
Ben Clark lives in Minnesota with his wife, Dana, and cats Joni and Lou. He is a city bus operator and instructor, and an editor for Muzzle Magazine. He is the author of two full-length poetry collections: if you turn around I will turn around (2015) and Reasons to Leave the Slaughter (2011). His newest chapbook, After the Floating Barn (2025), was written with Josh Gaines, and published by NDSU Press.