Maybe 11

A small flock of birds
circled and swooped
as I crossed the bridge
on my way to work
There were 10 or maybe
a dozen of them
I tried to count but the group
kept breaking apart
and reforming and I
couldn't keep track

I watched them for a long time
but couldn't ever be sure
how many there were
I don't know why it seemed
so important for me to know
10 or maybe a dozen
maybe 11
Even now, hours later,
I know it means nothing
but I still wish I knew
how many
How many

Maze of Light

Against the mirrored grid of buildings there stands
a labyrinth of hay bales erected for the harvest festival
a ruined fortress of shaggy bricks
with low walls so the kids don't get lost

Long ago we used to navigate
the network of alleyways,
past dilapidated garages and dogs barking
behind the fences of the backyards
on our way to the diner
where there was a Ms. Pac Man machine
in the foyer solely for us to scream at.
At night we'd get snagged on the thorns
of our arguments, tangled in the blankets
and the brambles.

I'm not sure if there's a way out
or if I'm just following the twists and turns,
hitting one dead end after another
in this memory palace.
I envy the creek, that watery path
that never gets lost
as it trickles single-mindedly
between the trees,
pushing through the leaves
that try to clog it

I hope you find your way,
ping-ponging between the stars,
weaving through the clouds
of celestial dust.
I take the thread you used to sew
your dolls, to bind your little books
and unroll it behind me
until it runs out and I'm left holding
a bare wooden spool
which I slip into my pocket
and continue on

1st Drink of the Light

An eyelash

on your fingertip

The eye never scabs over

never heals

Just keeps leaking

A wound in time

that never closes

A black hole

A spinning drain

I squint

hold my palm over

the cut

tip the bottle

of hydrogen peroxide

though they say

that it does nothing

That it's not good for you

I still want to feel the fizz

to watch

the bubbling

 Trying to smooth

the ragged edges

Trying to lay a plank

across the creek

The birdbath does not

ice over

The sky is still raw

and gaping

the corners of my mouth

are still catching

face down in the cool grass

on the hottest day

of the year

I will catch you twitching

I have not yet begun

to swallow the dew