Butterflies have not failed you, you just
Can’t see they’ve come into your room.
Perching on the flower of your urinal,
I see one blessing you even now.
Dolphins have not failed you.
You just can’t tell they swim the swells
Of your blankets, blessing
the sea you’re bound to.
Bats have not failed you.
They join you in your solitary night-days.
Circling your room by moonlight,
Trying to eat all the mosquitos of worry.
Ospreys, octopi and tree frogs join you
As you look for joy in one small room.
Your life is woven with theirs, my child,
You are never in this world alone.
7/2019
On the Verge:Poets of the Palisades III
(The Poet's Press, 2020)