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Not Unclouded Joy

—(Ace of Wands, reversed, Rider-Waite)

Even in spring, leaves fall without

being symbols of death or decay.

As I began to write today,

my pen ran out of ink.

I found another, and began again.


I have floated mostly on a slow river

meandering through a tended forest.

This acceptance is a form of agency,

like being a teacher or a suicide.

I determine the shapes of the clouds.


On a hill in the distance sits a castle.

From here, it’s hard to tell if it’s in ruins.

I don’t know what I’m going to do,

other than not what I have been.

Happiness doesn’t come with clarity.

(July 18, 2023)