Volumes Thick

Resting gently, a weight untethered
Can’t uncover, what’s left unsaid or
Said in a dance routine
Of words, volumes thick
Unfettered by lengthy decisions
Guided by snap judgements, quick!

Off to the races, off with my head
Often enough, I dream of us in bed
I glean of lust unsaid
I feel blood yet bled
I peel back scales not shed
I uncover passages I’ve already read.

Shake the rust off
When pain feels permanent
Shake the dust off
Age transcends the tourniquet
Take the forested path back home
But follow the foxes halfway
Have the last laugh
But only on your last day.

That’s many moons from now
Howling for years to come
Until that day, let’s live like we’ll feast on crumbs
The way artists intended
Set our sights spanning the globe,
Leave no part bereft or shunned.

Michael Carney