TO THE ENDINGS

PUBLISHED POETRY INCLUDED IN MY FORTHCOMING COLLECTION: LETTERS TO NOWHERE

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she will not carelessly discard 

these moments. the statutes 

and possessions. conversations 

preserved in wax. i know the smell 

of sugar on your breath. the simple 

and complex, guarded for so long, 

locked away behind forged smiles 

and silver keys, shrouded in smoke.

it won’t be careless. wrap memories 

in parchment and place them 

on a high shelf, away from 

the warping touch of sunlight,

away from my desire to care.

the oyster and her hard-won pearl, 

smeared together through tears and sand,

years and death, pried open 

and iridescent when day-shine 

regresses and mother moon stretches

holy fingers through the blackness

to gently cradle her shell.

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Originally published in Scarlet Leaf Review, as “Oyster,” December 2019