I cannot tell you
What dark flowers grow in the shade
I can only say
What their perfume smells like
What nectar they sweat
When brought out to the light
Unable to bear
Exposure, steep reliance and responsiveness

I cannot tell you
What creatures lurk at night
Were I a child I would say
They surely bear great fangs and
**** the blood of innocents
Were I an adult I could tell you
They bore faces I knew
And hissed like air escaping
The dying kiss of goodbye
But I am not, so I cannot say
What desires take form from light of day

Were  I like you
I could say
What breadths the world asks of us
When we seek to cross it to see one we miss
I could make a guess at
What the ocean sounds like as it sputters in protest
With inconvenient waves slapping sense into our journey
But I'm not
Nor are you
If I were really focused
Perhaps I could ask
Why
But I'm not