the herb lady

her head is full of knowledge you haven’t got yet. full sun, part shade, the difference between just enough water and drowning. you didn’t know oregano was actually a type of thyme. the wide straw hat she wears must keep all this knowledge from escaping, her hair must grow longer and more wild as it feeds on the new things she learns each growing season.

she smiles at you in a rambling way and you think of that time in the train where you rushed past the laborers, their backs wet with sweat bent away from you, 8 in the morning and facing a whole field of hard work. her smile: your skin warms like in the sun, your hands harden with the thought of real work you’ve never done before. you want her to speak but surrounded by plants as you both are there’s no air to spare for words.