My cup of coffee has gone
stale in the late afternoon and it hits
me as the cloudy stuffiness of suburbia creeps
through the kitchen screen door:
    assault is …

Part One

1.

I am your moon.
You are my light.

2.

Little moon girl, sitting in the pool
O ball, in and out of the water

O kindness, o gentleness
crow, no raven, sitting …

“What are you reading?” she asked,

from behind an orange mask.

In the past, I would have smiled,

responded cordially about this book,

only this pandemic has changed me.

My intolerance has grown, like

an overdue …

You direct my eyes
to the yellow door of the bookshop.

Help me when I ask. Don’t just pull me                       …