cento for NaPoWriMo 2022

some things should remain hidden.
this still has all the silences in it,
every small expression.
i regret that
i cannot speak –
there are no words
we can endure,
searching for things to talk about;
they didn’t last long.
my desire is always
for you and emptied.
that, too, is written down.
we sat at the table
and now we are all waiting.
we have only hunger
suddenly in our midst,
unbidden, a gift
to bring into the light
inside my body.
we can only name
how we were once.
we live with the silences,
wear them like armour;
all that waiting.
receive what small comforts there are
everywhere you go.
decide what is true and what is not,
which things are which.

decisions

there are things you have to do.
there are things you want to do.
there are things other people want you to do.
 
now you can be honest or lie.
which things are which?
be honest. decisions must be made.
 
some decisions hurt yourself.
some decisions hurt others.
some decisions bear fruit years from now.
 
you know you have to do something.
you’ve already waited for far too long.
good luck with that.

Demands

I should like to be more demanding.
I should like to be many more things.
Let’s leave things at that.
 
Let me take your hand in my hand.
Maybe we can find a path through all the words.
Maybe we could bury all the cold, dead things.
 
Then wait to see if there’s a resurrection.
To declare what is true and what is not.
What I will ask of you is not the question.
 
The question is not what I will ask of you.
To declare what is true and what is not.
Then wait to see if there’s a resurrection.
 
Maybe we could bury all the cold, dead things.
Maybe we can find a path through all the words.
Let me take your hand in my hand.
 
Let’s leave things at that.
I should like to be many more things.
I should like to be more demanding.

It’s King’s Day!

It’s King’s Day!
Everywhere you go
is a sea of Orange.
 
It’s King’s Day!
Maybe it’s your city
that will receive a visit!
 
It’s King’s Day!
Bring your goods
into the streets.
 
It’s King’s Day!
A time for singing!
A time for dancing!
 
It’s King’s Day!
Come and join!
There’s a feast!
 
It’s King’s Day,
and I wish I was
celebrating with you!

trust

they tell me
the procedure is simple –
only “one in a thousand
has complications.”
i’ll just “go to sleep,”
wake up, and all will be well;
results waiting for me
like a gift, or reward.
 
still, lying there
only makes me feel vulnerable,
not safe.
                they explain their task
with warm and professional
matter-of-factness.
it’s a measured thing
either way,
                     a required precision.
we all have our portion.
our roles are clear.
just keep breathing,
try to relax,
receive what small comforts there are.
this is just the process.
there is nothing to fear.