I lose things frequently
Lunch money and winter coats
I have a box that contains
Lone mittens and single earrings
I keep it beneath the bed
Where a single sock lies somehow
Lost from the laundry basket
I know its mate went to wash
Tuesday afternoon, I’ve misplaced
Phone numbers and postage stamps
Disconnecting me from patterns
Of speech and print, my bills
Are always mailed late, headaches
The pillbox lies forsaken with
Dust at the bottom of my purse
I rub my temples and sigh
Your letters are scattered, lost
From the faded ribbon I’ve used
To bind them, I’ve searched throughout
The room in vain, but could not
Hold them, scattered, like my thoughts
Lost in the memory of the last
Letter you sent, my reply
Missing postage, immovable
From my desk, a single message
Answers my machine and blinks
A missed meeting, a tom cat stares
With a lost eye and missing tail
A world of knowing in his glare
You’re not here, lost in miles
Of thoughts, distance I put there
And the map misplaced.

02/26/2000

Posted on 01/21/2003
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