12:12 Am

I kneel in my bedroom A nubby knit blanket softens the wood under my knees ankles toes I take the thin black cap of dark red polish— The color my mom said no to when I was young The dark of a girl’s shadow on a wall, a lamp draped in scarlet silk I bend forward and make careful strokes The Shangri-Las “Paradise” comes on shuffle I become conscious of the world’s spin— The shifting of the people money feelings wind time and endless wastelands, tumble My head sways, I know the moment I let a red drop slide down my thigh I am happy to be held in my body— Surrounded by the madness of being alive.