5.

            (...what it would feel like to be a man)

feet on broken magic
as the town comes out to see a lanky man unsure

dreaming in two places

crown the beads of sweat the dirt    unguarded
as his mother makes her motions with her amulets

with wine. The righteous grinning from inside.
Unsteady

how alone to be misunderstood along your sacred path.
Moths surround your head at night    dance

flush out what you remember from the circle.
Untame yourself:

there’s something simpler there
shoes removed    tangle of your hair and stark

the sun that follows blank-faced shallow    drums
along the river sparkles for a moment    waters break

grace knocked up against the wall the rude
beleaguered spitting mob    foreplay and the play

of light is elegant up on the roof before the others wake
rinds strewn in sand the skin a pleasure

will be bounty on your head but soft
enlightened

reach for something safe to savor now