Abandoning the Pattern 9

the years pronounce our names in garbled stutters. the pitch. fractions possess the whole. the point of the needle. as it delivers its hollow praise.

arriving in stabs. the blunt thrust of time. i failed to spend. worthless now.

he says it happened then. but you won't remember. he says it was once, but no longer can. frayed baskets dense with choices. i made before i knew that i had them.

the container leaks. numbed by the auctions. the providence of flesh. builds its kingdom from the remnants of heaven.

there are threads. stitches she dutifully sews. seams in the mountain as it erupts. pauses in the numbers. that admit. they don't know. there are oceans. waves that break too close. the wilt of colors. as they scribble their bridges.

There are distances. we can't measure. numbers louder than we can count.