I have lost only what the moth loses
in the candle flame—ash.
I have lost what falls behind
the turning sunflower—shadows.
I have lost the milky scales that cover the eyes
of a snake about to shed.
I have lost what the skeleton gives up
to the worms and the bleaching sun.
I have lost the empty husk a cicada leaves
for a few months in the chorus of summer
after seventeen years in the ground.
At the baggage carousel I couldn’t find a tag
with my name on it, because all the tags said
YOU.
- Tiel Aisha Ansari, from her poetry blog, Knocking From Inside. Reposted with permission.
Ya Haqq!
Found Baggage Lost Here
August 19, 2008I have lost only what the moth loses
in the candle flame—ash.
I have lost what falls behind
the turning sunflower—shadows.
I have lost the milky scales that cover the eyes
of a snake about to shed.
I have lost what the skeleton gives up
to the worms and the bleaching sun.
I have lost the empty husk a cicada leaves
for a few months in the chorus of summer
after seventeen years in the ground.
At the baggage carousel I couldn’t find a tag
with my name on it, because all the tags said
YOU.
- Tiel Aisha Ansari, from her poetry blog, Knocking From Inside. Reposted with permission.
Ya Haqq!