I’ve lost something and I can’t describe
what it is
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and what if that’s my job
to say how empty an absence is
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like rolling 2 gears together
and maybe teeth are missing in one
or both
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or maybe trying to grind
two stones that are
polished and smoothed
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I’ve always liked
a little grit
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but sand in my shoes
or in my hair
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is like shattering
a glass in carpet
and using a broom to
get it out
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I can’t describe
what it’s like to
sit on opposite ends
of a park bench and
not know how
to get any closer
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I miss so many things
and I’ve looked through my piggy
bank and only found pennies
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a pile of things that are
almost completely worthless
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a shoebox full of sporks
a well with a bucket and a rope
that’s too short
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sometimes in my room
it’s so dark that if I wake
up I won’t know if it’s morning or night
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imagine being someplace you know
so well but are lost and don’t have any idea
how to get out
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the rule is, put your right hand out
lay it on the wall, and follow
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sometimes the rules don’t apply to all of us
I don’t want to sleep here again tonight
Copyright © 2020 by Kenyatta Rogers . Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 26, 2020 by the Academy of American Poets.