the rain switched to sand

& i went to bed with
the hush of each grain falling--

a muffled sigh-- 

soothe the ache of windowpanes--

making hourglass earth--

turn & turn & turn 

& the face of each clock filled--
stagnant arms--

my own elbows & forearms
heavier with the stubborn death
of watches--

time escape each face &
turning into more 

flecks of sand--

glisten in the emptying moon

the whole solar system coming
down-- giving-- bones eroding-- 

before the night is
over the ceiling caved--

commandment tiles peeled away
& promptly buried--

their sins no longer applicable

have you ever made a grave for
your wrongs?

what confessionals did you build?

i think about Ozymandias

& the level sands stretching
far away &

i know i will never
remember all the words
to that poem--

so i find a tree branch--

one from the very top
of the oak tree in the playground--

sand devoured torso--

my own body sinking with 
each step 

as the sun crawls on
her hands & knees up the
side of the crooked-toothed
mountains--

curled into a ball--

she has long brown hair 
& a pair of scissors 
to save herself--

she eats planets like
cheerios--

her stomach fire lover--

so i find a tree branch

& i think about the zen gardens

the ones we always said
"we should make one someday"

with lines patient enough
to hold every duvet of a body--

a corn field un-planeted 
& brave--

the seeds are in the souls 
of my feet--

king of kings of king of kings--

to make lines of it all--

there is so much comfort 
in evenness--

stick dug into earth--
trailing behind me as i meander--

lines wavering--

the ocean resurrected 
itself in me--

seashells in my bones 

when the sun searches for
the moon tonight

she will come up empty--

she will plunge her
hands frantic into
the sands-- 

lift pyramids & 
castles & the playground 
swing set i once believed
could send me into orbit

she'll find me--
knees tucked into my chest--
as i wait for cool night
& sleep--

i clutch the stick like
a rifle--

she comes 
storm sobbing 

blanketing me 
like a stone