Cramped, lost, and crying in my own exhausted body,
tired of spending all my money like I'm overly gaudy.

Short is this pain but long is the ornament,
until I see the path to winning this life-long tournament.

No longer numb am I, yet still caught in a gasp.
New knowledge instilled that ferociously connected the dots, and at long last filled in the gaps.

the constant
u n y i e l d i n g
search for flint, for
tinder, for a breath
to keep the fire raging
at least glowing, the less--
w a r m. Not just any man
does, but several could, for
a
time
maybe.
we women
with temperamental
baggage, the thoughts
are alive, we fear ourselves
often knowing the flammable
ones-- but we burn anyway.