i walk

brain dragging

behind me

a suitcase

this is what i have

this is what i know

this is what i am

did i leave my oven on?

will my apartment

(along with my neighbors)

be spent cinders

when i return?

a line of yellow tape

a shyly raised hand

this is all i have

this is all i know

this is all i am

forgetful

stupid

out of room

out of time

out of spite

out of rhyme

poor

dependent

rummaging through my suitcase

on the sidewalk

for my key

(if it’s yours

you must prove it)

this is my

fault

problem

loss

pushing past my

belongings

looking beneath my

self

i find the only valuable thing

that i had packed

in a place where it could never be turned to ashes

i am all i have

i am all i know

i am all i am

seeing it safe

slightly scuffed but still intact

(contrary to cruel conveyance)

i wrap my heart in a greying sock

building a fortress of dry cloth

around a burnt palm

edging out gravity with pressure

applying it firmly

between clenched teeth

behind zipped lips

still, i walk

brain dragging

behind me

a suitcase

-

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