my lover says

my mind is a wilderness and he gets lost in it
sometimes an enjoyable stroll then chaos
he loses track of time in the trees
but I am full of recurring images
recursive scripts that generate more scripts
some an enjoyable stroll then chaos
I found him sitting there at the base of an oak
in my mind the leaves fluttering above him
music over a temperate breeze
and he asked me what’s it like in here all the time?
and I said I don’t know
only you know the way in
I only know the way out


Reprinted from What Had Happened Was. Copyright © Duke University Press, 2025. Reprinted with permission.