Trying to write a lyric
my words reduce to verse
The euphony escaping me
adrift as I converse

Though joy is sorely tempered
these letters soldier on
In hope of just one melody
—in hope of just one song

(Bryn Mawr College: September, 2023)

I’m on my fourth lifeline
how about you
The first three pre-owned
the current one new
This one seems fleeting
which gives me concern
My freezer is empty
no steaks left to burn
The first one was blissful
the second had pain
The third one reflective
but this fourth one again….
I try to hold on
and describe it at will
Exceeding my grasp
it alludes me and still…
I wouldn’t go back
to either one, two, or three
The things I see now
ripened fruit on my tree
If this is the end
and the lights start to dim
I’ll sing the words strongly
Madonna’s last hymn…
“More thankful than troubled
more joyous than sad
“More today than tomorrow
—the past in the past”

(The First Book Of Prayers: February, 2018)

I would’ve cut open my chest if he needed a heart
Wrote sonnets with my tears
Harnessed the thunder just to impress him
Bathed in starlight to entice him
Tread through shadows to get to him
Died to prove to him
I love him
But I realized I was burying myself alive
For a boy, who wouldn’t even visit my grave