what survives in me
i still suspect.
–Sonia Sanchez, “Fragment 1”

time signatures bridge memories spread wide, open as my early childhood landscapes
we moved most often when work got too hard or you simply wanted a change of scenery
self-destruction a competitive pursuit, or why my syntax lacks a particular kind of self-love

I found an aesthetic: beg
more of a grasp than a hold
& I define how tight

shattered pieces create the best whole
naked sounds vibrate the loudest
most thoughts end
…