but at every turn i found
gates, chains, locks, walls.
even the windows shuttered.
my maps were useless,
friends’ directions insufficient,
sources of light sputtering.
it’s not because of storms
or wind or rain or other
atmospheric effects.
let me claim it was a spell,
some darkness named
and given free reign.
the way we plant a wood
out of abandoned hopes,
how we
build a home out of pain.
