this

A finger
might
run
the length
of
her nose
catch
at
her lower
lip stop
at
a scar a
freckle a
hand
cup
the side
of
her face
allow
the weight
of
her head
her chin
to rest
in
a palm
grip
her waist her
hip pull
her
closer
a voice
might
re
mind
her

soft

lee

that
she
is.

next

She gathers
her necessaries
in an
ti
ci
pa
tion:
kleenex
lip
stick a piece
of fruit
a note
on a sticky pad a
pencil and
a hard thing to write on
a child a
man and
a light jacket and
a woman and
a heavier jacket
somehow stuffed
into pockets
sleeves
crevices in
the couch
beneath
the seat
cushions
behind eye
lids
anywhere
she might
need a thing
for the next
visit or
meal or trip
or bout
of heat or
cold
for the un
certainty
of living
in the future.

ask

She moves from room
to room
asking questions
of the air of
the envelope
on the desk: who are
you? why
are you?

She expects
the precise
placement (of
curtains
twitching them
into place
locking
unlocking locking
again doors)
will charm
the stuff
of life into
sense.

She knows
she is the only
one who sees
the ghosts
she lives with
the ones
who wander
from room
to room who
will not
lock doors who
allow the curtains
to gap
who refuse
to answer or
not fast enough
where the envelope
is for
or
what
it is going.

ride

She pedals hardly seeing red
yellow orange flowers smudge red
yellow cars broken glass
she swerves to miss
she remembers sneakers
peeled cedar bark high
above the yard terryclothcape
tied at her neck a frog
squished and dry a tiny bird beeping
in a shoebox the night
it died she
rides no hands
no feet
Xed
stretching up and out
riding
so fast
fingertips scrape doors lattice windows
toes
scuff loose gravel tree roots
broken curbs streetlights on
at dusk
marking to memory
to heart
these streets scraps music words
futurepastpresent all
rushing past her ears.

skate

Snowbanks
walling the rink the skates
scraping
fighting
to keep her ankles firm
her nose cold but
her head arms fingers
toes warm the ice
hers
her people inside
occasionally
glancing out the kitchen
window at the daughter
who somehow knew
she was
a skater
good graceful beautiful