high-five

they build walls
and give us names

to create an impression
of privacy

though the distance
seems to vary
we're all at the
same exact spot

called here

.

in midst of gray december
i saw a butterfly
fragile as hair
immortal
for a fraction
of second

.

another morning

swallow the lump

put on the dancing shoes

break a leg

.

i dream of my obituary
being printed on the pages
of every magazine known

full of praise
and a tragic eulogy
of what the world
had missed

pity,
he could have stopped
the icebergs from melting

.

the toe doesn't decide

what the rest of the body does

but there's a kind of democracy

a firefly doesn't illuminate

a sunken heart

but i'm sending you this

.

i expect the rice

to be perfectly cooked

if i'm going to have to

beg for it

.

hell-o-wean this year:
no trick of treat
just random strangers
ringing at my door
pleading