All In

by Stan Sanvel Rubin

Suddenly I have
to accept

that I don’t
know why

I’m in the garden
kneeling on dirt

as if I grew out of it
with a tool

in my hand.
I see

nothing has grown
and isn’t likely to

this time either.
I have to accept

failure
in this, too.

I have to accept
that my heart is

just like
my mind,

a barnstorming acrobat
who wanders

from place to place
with a large array

of tricks
and no net.

Stan Sanvel Rubin’s poems have appeared in journals including Agni, Poetry Northwest, Georgia Review, Aji, Hole in the Head Review, and One. etc. Four full collections include There. Here. (Lost Horse Press) and Hidden Sequel (Barrow Street Book Prize).