i.

my mind chews its way
through each of my lessons
spitting back
what the animal dislikes
savoring its own justifications

ii.

I am lost –
outbursted, debris stirred-up
from head to toe,
carnivorous, unyielding –
yet you wait for me, still

iii.

storm rides
its pounding path overhead
swallows me
while the eye between my two
observes, disregards

iv.

like convent doors
at the end of the school fair
my ears seal
to endless chatter
and seek secret solace

v.

what I hear
if I listen with true ears
is your distant call
waiting to be heard,
asking where I have been

vi.

it is not for me
to say whether coming or going
is more or less noble
I shall sit to watch, regardless
prepare to make amends

vii.

my act of contrition
is to sit here with you –
to watch your moon rise
to shift around my spine
to rub my hands to warm them