till cave'd chest

Sunsets through bamboo limbs
single star above the cloud line
pilots engage landing gear
landing here
and I wish I were disengaging
landing there
but I fear
9-5 clenches tighter the more I’m aging
proven by my engine sitting grounded
catacombed inside this fuselage
rounded
by expectation
my rogue inclinations
are mirage’d
like future dreams
like rose beds
gripped between my tire’s treads

transatlantic embarkation cards
too empty
too dead
to me
tonight
tomorrow
Father
send me
in sojourn
send me
or else
send me
a stone’s throw
beyond your Son’s
pleading
bloody
yelps


so I can burn
My candle
at both ends
To know you
To know how
To know when
Till no end
Till no rest
Till cave’d chest
Till every spark
Is caught
In blankets
You wove from intentional fabrics
And wrapped it around my two shoulders
Just like all shoulders
inside many-colored coats
Removed by brothers
Dipped in goat blood
For posterity
But so that some learn slavery
And trust in dreams
Or interpret fear
In light of eternal parameters
And not just present deserts
for running
Faster
In the wonder years
My younger tears
Were spent
In sackcloth
And now I’ve new garments


And I like them
a lot