A rarity these days: a poem I’ve actually managed to finish and don’t hate..

When the room is quiet
that’s when the churning starts

none of it makes sense
and then all of it does
and then maybe that fits
but I don’t know about that
and maybe I should try to think about something else

At first, it seems so simple:
when presence becomes absence
what was here now isn’t
people come and people go
the way they always do

it all makes sense
and then none of it does
and then maybe that fits
but I don’t know about that
and maybe I should try to think about something else

If there’s an off-switch
I haven’t found it yet
and what they don’t tell you
is that the stages don’t necessarily follow
a fixed sequence

or they do—
but I can’t be expected to pay attention
while hopscotching back and forth
from one state to another
here all alone

You don’t see the things I carry with me
but I assure you they’re all here
clamoring for attention
but demanding to be left alone

If there’s an off-switch
I haven’t found it yet

All I know is that in the end
breathing slows
and the heart stops

And the room becomes quiet

(12 December 2023)

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Wishes sometimes have consequences is available to order from your favorite local bookstore.

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