I had thought the tumors

some perpetual state of wondering

of the bad things an ache might be

a tilted tooth

and so many more years 

to live in this body

Bravery on 10th street

At the gem shop on 10th street
The man wants courage
On christmas eve.
He wants clarity.
A rare piece
Of a meteorite,
A see through piece of
Courage,
An opaque, jagged clarity.

Suddenly there's Poughkeepsie

In the backseat of the minivan
I took a vow of silence -
a teenage adaption of running away from
home-
sitting quiet
like waiting with bated breath on
the side of house
listening for any hint of
where did she get off to?
Plopping down on damp leaves
when knees get worn down from
squatting one hand on the linoleum siding to
keep from falling over.
Sounds lull on and on with no
mention of me.
Then
suddenly there's Poughkeepsie.