the introduction

 

I wake on the floor, on my back,
I must have fallen, my toes ache with cold,
the sky is lightening but the sun is not up

today I am glad to rise and greet the day

the shelves of books, three deep and
counting
rising in stacks against the wall, a universe of words
strung together, waiting for you

the backup plan, the second chance,
plot, climax, epilogue

I want to save this time of happiness for when you will
remember it,

before life is an endeavor

here, in the dark, we will read Adrienne Rich
play word games,
                                         sing, sang, sung,
invent new ways to explain ourselves to the world,
to our selves, to you,
who will hear me

today I delve though the thesaurus,
onion-skin pages with words
that will never be enough
to slake my thirst

and later that night, dreaming,
I paper the walls,

enigma, autumn, eloquent, wonder,

someday the light will shine through my skin
and I will leave this body reluctantly,

lighter than the
sky