times i have lied to my doctor

winter parking lot. the sun behind
a frosted window. yes i am breathing.
yes i sleep at night. no i do not have
a bomb behind my eyes. no i do not
have nightmares any more. yes my sex life
is full of flowers. i eat enough protein.
there is a stray cat who i feed. who i invite
inside my house. who stands on two legs
& weeps with me. when my phone rings
i always pick it up. it is never god
though i want it to be. no i am not
thinking of an elevator shaft. yes 
i pee a regular amount. no i am not feeling
like there is a cloud of knives perched
right outside my life. no my father 
never hit me. no my father is not
feeding a ghost from the palm of his hand. 
yes my body is doing what it is supposed to.
i have a neighbor who i talk to every day 
& we trade sounds of the fields we adore.
cicada. lawn mower. field plane. the drones
do not alarm me. it is not my birthday.
yes i fasted before the blood test. no i do not
have enough sugar. yes the medication
is working. yes i do not have anything else
i want to fix. no i have never pulled my car over 
outside of a new development & tried to remember
what the field looked like. work is going well.
i have so much love in my hair. i do not
need to check my bank account. we will 
figure it out if the government is listening.
no they will not take everything. yes i am sure. 
outside the haze thickens to a broth.  

i see the doctor in his car after. he eats a hoagie
with the window cracked.