two truths & a lie

i have never run out of birds. i have
never loved this country. i have
always loved the soil. i have always
eaten handfuls of leaves: spearmint
& jupiter & sassafras. i have sometimes 
stayed up until the sun is whispering
to the moon before a mother comes home.
i have not believed in the kindness 
of others. i have thought everyone 
was made of soot. i have driven my car
beyond where i should drive my car.
i have stolen essential oils for the thrill. i have
run away from a city. i have run away
from a lover who did not love me
& one who did. i have never bought 
enough wood. i have missed people
i should not miss. i have filled my shoes 
with carpet beetles. i have pretended
to be my father. i have sent a letter to
someone who didn't want to know me 
anymore. i have burned a flag. i have
burned a pile of wood with a mouse inside.
have carried a mouse into the middle
of the fields & let him go to fend for himself.
i have worn my mom's clothes when
she wasn't home. i have pretended to be
from a different county. i have betrayed 
the ancestors. i have made the ghosts proud.
i have never overdrafted on my bank account. 
i have always had enough money to pay off
the war collector. i have moved the mountain
to look at all the bugs underneath. i have
laughed enough to make the day worth it. 
i have never gone to bed hungry.