***

the one who used to sleep troubles away
now takes trains

whether I ruined her son’s life
whether her son did it himself
does it matter if i can write again?

aouatif said
they used to call her “mesmouma”
she smiled:
“being bony equals being “toxic””
i chose to think:
our ribs r a shark’s dorsal fin
_____
my grandmother said:
“however good you feed the wolf…
(meaning what’s bred in the bone…)
_____
my student said: “oh
not everyone in this room has a soul”
i said “don’t tell me who”
and thought “what if…”

they say a person is not a half
then
why else do my hips fit his shoulders
perfectly well
they demand wholeness
but used to call us
“the face”
___________
…it still looks onto the forest”
(…will come out in the flesh)