Sixteen Percent

Packing and organizing things
After he left should I stay here
Or move to Florida I couldn’t yet
Figure the distance although
It seemed rational to do both
Perhaps a modicum of hope that
Would lead me to happiness
On both ends people most likely
Would wait but it’s a rhythm that
Is important to keep and he had
Somewhere to be by four o’clock

Someone said there was a snake
In the room at one time but he was
Only a pet I wasn’t sure if the truth
Was garbled but I kept picking up
The space knowing that at some point
I would either run into it or some
Remanent if it’s existence there

Underneath the table where
Not much has been cleaned for awhile
I found a couple of boxes of
Tissues practically full but had
Slid behind and so no one bothered to
Go under to retrieve them
There were soft cedar chips below
Which made me realize something
Had been under here but when
Or how long ago was unclear

It didn’t matter though I was
Having fun in this treasure trove
Of a place and the folks here wanted to
Do something about it but
No one had the motivation
So when he left we decided to
Dedicate a space of some
Of his belongings like a chapel
Or a living memoir or something else

And I could fly back and forth
From city to city living in
Both places it was just a matter
Of deciding whether to keep the
Old xerox machine that looked
Like it was some kind of
Makeshift table now
But upon moving it I realized
The decision wasn’t pertinent
Just yet

© GÄ

Edify

Child unwanted
Divorcé to your parents
Clinging to a life that
No longer existed
Your father and mother
Don’t want each other
So you feel unwanted too
When people want to be there
For empathic people
It almost makes you feel worse
Is everything ok!?
Are you ok?
Suddenly you’re not
It’s like you have a rare skin disease
And no one can touch you
To make you feel better
Because it makes you feel worse
Empathy and trouble with affection
Affection is affliction
Machete to the neck
Start over from the beginning
Clean slate is a clean plate

And though the room was full
Of animals we still wanted to revive
The snake and so it was time to
Wake the paper skin that would
Come alive again if we fed it
It took two of us to nurture it
And the lights went off in its belly
When the rat turned each corner to
Get to the end and the snake
Awoke to find its life again

We saw a way for the snake to also
Make its home between the bones
Of neck and clavicle absorbed
Between the shoulders to save the
Child we would need to cut it out again
Full length and body swallowed whole
But without doctor or time to rush
Into the traffic of a hospital
Like some sweet magic the simple slice
Released the snake to see the child
Back up again and to become the
Parts that served him best
Secure and whole

© GÄ