Asterisk

pursed lips

poised to disperse

a thousand star-tipped

seeds

she asks me,

"did you know

that if you ask

for more whooshes [wishes]

you'll definitely

get it?"

Waiting

in my selfishness
i'd rather be

startled by

Spring's arrival--

wondering

how the bush,

barren yesterday,

is suddenly saturated

today

with blooms.

but

this year

i must wait

patiently

like a gracious host

(imagine me in a cell phone waiting lot)

i hope to be here

when my guests arrive

Achieving failure

instead of covertly seeking
to attain perfection

and only then

presenting

the put-together self

today i choose to see 
failures as evidence 

that demonstrates

the simple fact
that i have tried

2/15/2022

in the barren branch exists

everything needed

for eventual blossoms

Apparently

Apparently

I can still

get places

living

with 

the 

emergency 

brakes

still on.

But

this 

can't 

be

good 

for my body.

Instead

this new book, system, or routine

    a bullet journal

    morning pages

    exercising

i take a risk

start a hobby

scribble with my left hand

all of these life rafts, buoys, and rings

tossed out at me

i cling to them for dear life

when i forget 

that i

                             already

know and love

how to swim

or that              i can

just

                                    float.