Contrary

in old parlance from
the west,
lakota called you
heyoka
and apache called you
libaye;
nowadays
people don’t call you
anything but
you’ve always known
your spot and
sometimes you whisper
a name for it
and then forget it
right away;
you haven’t slept a
comfortable wink since.
you toss and turn all night;
the gods, as always,
wait to delight in you —
that is, if you are quiet
and respectful
around them —
sadly, you can’t be that.
maybe it’s too much
or not enough.
either way,
you feel messy while you
wait to learn your name
from whatever
comes along.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
onward,
T