I came outside to the picnic table,
Embedded in darkness,
To smoke my cigarettes of unfoundedness.

The night before Thanksgiving,
And I do not know what is what anymore.

Which is a misnomer, I know everything
That is in my mundane life.

The scary thing is I am outlined,
As a deep-dark shadow, on
The wall of my backyard garden.

Not so long ago, in a day, the
Decisions were mine, not so
Long ago, I had control.

I sat and saw my shadow reflected
By the light of nothing, in such a
Depth-dark, I wanted to cry. I am
A pool of dark, with no reflection.
I am a pool of dark, with no reflection,
With no avowal a vowel is a verb.

I cannot stand the sight of time,
In any degree, so I went inside,
And turned the betrayal,
Satisfyingly, into wiping me out.

But, I created darkness I
Hadn’t seen before, even as I
Saw it in my mind of sound.

Three kittens
Are playing in the dark.
I know where they go, with my ears.
I understand kitten-fears, or I wouldn’t
Have seven house cats, and two neighbor-
Migrated outside kittens. Nine cats live
For my unreason. They are of our household,
Yet they are not, and they don’t understand
The distinction. But, I do.

A child comes and offers me
A chocolate as chocolaty as can be,
But, I don’t want it, I want to be
The epitome of words.

Not sugarcoated codes.

(Etc.)

The three kittens scamper everywhere,
Only one is ours, the other two are not
By choice, but by necessity. How can
Anyone turn babies from their back door?

These kittens show intelligence,
They want into the ‘House of Happiness’,
Where life is static, and food
Promotes the dynamics of family.

I sit outside in my pool of light,
Watching the contrast of pools
Of dark, understanding, with heart’s cue,
The finality of the human race.

And, now, these kittens have rediscovered
Lily leaves hiding places. I guess I should go
Unplug the light I lit tonight. Darkness
Becomes me…

Erin Elizabeth Kelly-Moen
© Copyright 11/20/05