hope like desire destroys us
stretches our attention away
from what’s left of the day
the way smoke is pulled
from a fire through the flue
to dissipate into the night
this moment’s ash cascades
as we begin to grasp
how rarely we are here
with each slow breath
a thread of air uncoils
into our smallest cells
as now and again we are
without hope without desire
(May 9, 2016)
subtext 