Audio: Read by the author.
I wish it would grab me by the ankles and pull.
I wish its shadow would dance up close, closing in.
When I close my eyes a presence forms, backs away.
I float above a lake, am dragged back
from a portion of sky. Down, down, the falling doesn’t end.
Every marked body must descend.
Is the world intended for me? Not just me but
the we that fills me? Our shadows reel and dart.
Our blood simmers, stirred back. What if
the world has never had—will never have—our backs?
The world has never had—will never have—our backs.
Our blood simmers, stirred back. What if
the we that fills me, our shadows real and dark,
is the world intended for me? Not just me but
every marked body must descend
from a portion of sky. Down, down, the falling doesn’t end.
I float above a lake, am dragged back
when I close my eyes. A presence forms, backs away.
I wish its shadow would dance up close, closing in.
I wish it would grab me by the ankles and pull.
