October 1, 2023 - Rahil Najafabadi’s “Take me Back”

It was true to see the tear, the bleeding of glass
when it is time to be whole. I have so much to hide
until we get home, until we get back to the beginning.
Like when we get to summer, we have arrived––
From a place of circular isolation and debris.
The dark marbles were stuck in my eye and became
everything I wanted to see. I miss the cold walls
that made the blankets feel warmer. Some letters
feel stagnant, some seasons of some years ago feel odd.
Summer came back for a minute and became my coat
in autumn. We may come back as climates, as raindrops,
even as a crushed leaf and then descend back to soil.
The air wears us for the blank winters and full nights––
I’ll leave with the next draft to hear a scorpion sing.