Picture it smaller, the world
The sphere you can stretch your arms in
The slick surface of limitations
Pressed against your fingers
You write it in a letter
And mail it to the countryside
What do I do?
The answer comes back weeks later
You know
But you don’t
I have always seen my mountains as apathy
But it is ambition that splits my knuckles
My blood draining into clear rivers
Filtered through fish gills and forgotten
It’s an ancient fear:
Insignificance
You write another letter
This time tucking it into the wall of the gods
Rest your temple to the bricks
Breathe when prayer deserts you
Wait for an answer
You know
Focus on the sound of my voice
Can you hear it?
Do you want to?
No, no, tuck that beneath the mountains
Take the longer road
Maybe you’ll meet a stranger beneath the stars
They will know what you do not
When there is no stranger
Try not to cry
Make it smaller, the world
Sit in the circle you drew in the dirt
A ragged line of limitations
Waiting for you to know
But you don’t