Almost home after years gone under
the whip and lash of it all.
That I’ve done this before does not ease
the struggle and boredom of the day:
pick up a stone, another cord of wood
until overburdened, then trudge on.
A redemptive end does not matter,
every task works on me like sin.
(from a work in progress: “Arcana,” Xwands, February 12, 2014)
subtext 