This afternoon, while my boyfriend & I
ate lunch on the patio,

we saw a deer emerge from the woods
& take its own green meal. After dinner,

we saw two deer pick their way
along the tree line. Before bed,

a deer cantered across the lawn,
almost invisible in the dark. Our dog

slept on the couch, soft
& gentle as a doe. I do not know

what deer want, but I know today
we have seen them everywhere:

in the grass &

After the book of Genesis and Surah Yusuf

Do not be angry with yourselves

for selling me here,

for it was to preserve life that God sent me ahead of you

said Joseph to his brothers

who did not recognize him

nor were they angry with themselves,

only hungry, and to tell the truth,

Joseph is still in the well,

Before we fasted I soaked

my first ever period underwear, stains like the scars

that fade for just that moment (when I press on them);

cleanliness isn’t permanent and I

thank God for this, for stains that return,

for my body’s gunk,

a few degrees warmer than I am.

Warmth is not happiness,

is “exuviated, bereft”

is exercising and hurting

leaving with full longing,

She turns on her radio.

Blood pours from the speakers.

A man drops out of the sky,

wearing tweeds and holding an umbrella.

A fire-engine roars down the street.

A young boy cleaves it in two with an axe.

The trees in the orchard grow apple dumplings.

A girl beheads her brother with the Stooges on vinyl.

Insanity can only take you so far.