while walking among the reeds

          you see a part of your life on the opposite
side of a river. you don’t know when it found

          its way outside of you. like when one
of the many smaller nesting lives inside vanishes

          & you know you’ll never find it again, but are at ease
with the fact. you say to yourself that was then.

          you don’t think about crossing the river. you know
the current is strong enough to pummel you.

          the past is like that. instead, for a moment, you look
for the people there & they can’t see or hear

          you of course, but you can see the fireflies
dancing. you can hear the song the people

          are singing. & it’s only until the near end of the song
that you notice you were mouthing every word.

Read more from Issue No. 9 or share on Twitter.