late start

late start

is it ever too late to start again?

2024 - MMXXIV - [fleeting summer daydream]
2023 - MMXXIII - [the sunken cathedral]
2022 - MMXXII - [lost years . . .]
2021 - MMXXI - [shoreline delirium]


I. late start
II. tardy pass
III. uprooted
IV. cross-examination
V. butterfly caravan
VI. SURPRISE
VII. —i’d prefer emptiness over suffering
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
XXII.
XXIII.
XXIV.
XXV.
XXVI.
XXVII.
XXVIII.
XXIX.
XXX.

III. uprooted

does a hurricane know how the tree feels to be uprooted?
or does it just continue storming on
without a care in the world

my roots reached deep into the ground
i was held in place by a thousand hooks
like those zoomed in pictures of velcro we saw in science
you know, i really enjoy science class
(don’t tell anyone, but it’s because you’re in it)

and now i’ve been swept away by your harsh winds
i’ve never felt like this before
this isn’t just a fleeting daydream, but a striking reality
for the first time in his life,
this tree
learns
to fly

“This just in— an oak tree from fifty miles away was uprooted during the hurricane and crashed into an apartment. There has been severe infrastructural damage to the building, but miraculously, no casualties have been reported at this time. Stay tuned for more details.”

IV. cross-examination

did you know poem spelled backwards is meop?

(yes/no)

yeah, i know that isn’t a word, but does that mean
irrationality equates to impossibility?

(i agree/i disagree, but this isn’t a debate, so i guess my rhetoric
falls flat
just as my words fall flat when i stand face to face
with you)

did you know love spelled backwards is evol?

(yes/no)

yeah, i know that this joke comes across better verbally, but does that mean
we should speak our mind when we’re together?

(i agree, because it means i could learn something about you, but
why can’t i say anything?
because i’m too afraid to mess it up
i want to laugh and cry with you
is what i want to say, but we could do without crying
but i’m just a coward who can only ask questions
to keep the conversation going/i disagree)

did you know i have a huge crush on you?

(yes/no)

yeah, i know that isn’t something i’ve ever said before, but does that mean
unprecedented motions are a reason for the chamber to adjourn?

(agree/disagree)