A worm’s turns
When I read a book I am free
from the need to break in my boots
before setting off on the trail,
from finding a babysitter so I
can set sail for intriguing destinations,
from the mortification of my own
naked form under a lover’s red-hot gaze,
from my ignorance’s certain discovery
as I blaze a trail for justice,
from the distracting burden of knowing
I have chosen exactly the wrong outfit
to persuade heads of state that
they can do better,
from my mind’s rehearsed calamity
that bound my eloquence with cable ties
just when I needed it most
Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash
