1
Another year gnawing away
Soon only gristle will remain
Meat, flesh, all choked down
The gaping, black gullet
2
I see an end
Yet another
That bleeds into
Yet another
Beginning
3
stone tumbled by the stream
An edge tumbled off
Tumbling in the water
End over end
Water with grit in its teeth
Stones on the bank
Worried smooth
Anxious ambling water
4
My country Tis not of me
Sweet land dying bitterly
Of thee I sing
Land where my sisters cry
Land where my brothers die
From every mountain side
Hear our pleading ring
O beautiful
And spacious
Amber, purple land rich with fruit
Of what god is this grace?
The crown of brotherhood lies shattered
From sea to choking sea
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20
Two years of running
Finally I feel like I can lay down
As the sickness curls around my throat like a cat
“It is not so bad” she whispers to the 1,000,000 dead
21
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23
I give what I have away
I give it to you
I feed you with my hands
I touch you with my mind
I hold my breath and then hold you
The syrupy night stands on tiptoes to watch
24
How easy it is to fall in love
What a gift to have others fall in love with you
25
Fear of falling
Fear of waking up and not knowing where I am
Fear of sharks
Of dark water
Of losing control
Fear of intimacy
Fear of getting too close
Of walking away
Of never looking back
Of never saying sorry
Fear of misunderstanding
Fear of loss
But mostly fear of falling
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Hunger is knowing where I am going
And wanting more
Hunger is waiting to devour
And wanting never to stop
29
The mountainscape lies behind
Not ahead
Red roofs grow up amongst the trees
A lone deer walks slowly through low growing green
Stalklike trees bend away from the road
Finally, a familiar stand of corn
Amidst and entirely foreign stretch of crops
I cannot read the signs
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