I Am a Pitcher

Published in Lost in Tall Grass (Finishing Line Press 2014)

If a life looks balanced,
perhaps it will become balanced.
Bring the planets into alignment,
internal orbit will follow.

She thought this as she searched for parking,
unwilling to walk more than a block.
Sure she would float away
if she could not see her brick-and-mortar destination.

Circled and circled.
Arrived late.
Watched, unnoticed from the doorway.
Most distant and undiscovered planet.

“I am a pitcher”
All she could think to put down.
Aquarius pouring out a river.
Always emptying, never empty.  

Afterwards,
knowing she would never go back,
she still could not part with the notebook,
pages empty, except that one truth.

she keeps it at the bottom of her sweater drawer,
its blank pages slowly absorbing her scent,
and late at night, when she is parched,
she takes it out and drinks.