That darkness is nearer than I

That darkness is nearer than I, Mother

Holds you in its belly, growing you

Wasting you

That frost meets you sooner

And I, about the daylight

Resisting all the hands nearby

My brother’s, as he cups the air to tell me

Of the sinister miracles in space

Coming for me

That darkness is nearer than I

And the universe

Burns a trail to his front door

And his

And his

And hers

And mine

To all the rare of me

Their warm palms

Tucked under pillows

Or draped on slow, resting chests

I wonder where my lips are

Far and

Wasting

Cold and still

As a bluestone marker

Placed with love

In a frosted lawn