I Drew a Blank

I think through my fingers, say it with ink Lots of my stories fail to reach my lips Asked to paint nature, pages I can fill Hundreds of words to paint butterfly wing The sun, I can phrase in tens of colors Write of relations, my clan I can print Lines of my mother, gray of my father Pranks of my brothers, smiles of my sisters Life, death, faith, hope, love– all deserve paper to cite the frail, the dark , the strong, the sure– Without which the ghosts hold captive my tongue, Allow it to say just a word or some. Sorry friend! you called to ask how I am I said “okay” and then I drew a blank. Written 05/14/2016