SAL

when i say she was the light of my life

i mean light as in light breeze / as in she always used to tickle me / & refused

to let me do it back /

light as in to travel light / as in you probably thought / this was just a vacation /

light as in light diet as in low in fat / as in everyone / has limited days to live /

light as in light as a feather / as in probably fragile / as in hard to hold

& do it right /

light as in traffic light / as in sometimes i don’t even blink /in case i miss it /

light as in match, lighter, flame / as in this is how genocides begin /

light as in light wine / as in a mother, offering some to her child, whispering / a sip or two is fine /

as in getting drunk before you know it /

light as in at the end of the tunnel as in where the fuck is it /

light as in “i’m a light sleeper” as in / because of that i never woke her up / she would sleep until

2 p.m. and / sometimes i would question whether she would ever open her eyes again /

light as in light soil as in / crumbling / stumbling /

light as in either way, you can never keep it

              in your hands

Sal is a professional sluggard and occasional writer who spends most of her free time sleeping and reading Anne Carson. Her work has been published in Canvas Literary Journal, The Rappahannock Review, and Yes Poetry, among others.