These Things

I think about
these things:
How it feels
physically
What it makes
you want to
do
What it makes
you want to
promise
What it makes you
want to
savor
How it drives
you to
abandon
How you know
already
how much it can
hurt
How you still
wonder
if it’s real
and how your abandon
never keeps you from
trying
to find out
Those three
words have their most
power
the first time
they are spoken. From then,
each utterance
weakens.

Poetry in Process:

Selected poems to be included in "When Light Makes Long Shadows: A Collection of Poetry" due for publication in 2009.