a pumpkin
smile,

gent tilts his
head,

as if his turn
in game,

on chipped tooth bench,
lunch clasped
in palm,

cloaked in
trees,

shaded by
leaves,

knows not where
he’s from

or how he’s come
to be..

so infant-eyed
and free.

my face like a
freezer,

stuffed with tv
dinners,

cooking like a teenager
binging on
tiktok,

this room could use
a dimmer,

this late into the
evening,

i don’t feel like
eating..

so i chew on
rocks.

i’m not the songbird
you reach
out to

on mornings void
of sound,

to lift you from
same worry

that frames your
wistful frown,

though i may lend the warmth
you yearn for,

when you think to
turn around.

between two
clouds

mother moon births
light

like it doesn’t
pain

to feel change grow
within
,

or to go forth not
knowing

where the end will
find us,

laughing, shaking,
ruminating..

or
at peace.