ON THE SOLSTICE I WATCH MY LAG / NEVER KNEW I COULD / SLEEP FOR THIS LONG

I learn              I squint                        I quietpromise into the earth

the darkwater accepts me         I am blessing    in the dark wormskiss my sight

in the dark ,,,

I cry holes are clingy like homes
            I cry MYHANDS are the socks of my heart
            I cry put me in pain
            I cry my HEARTFEET are in wait
            I cry MYRUN
            I cry my glove my glove

in the dark ,,,                I want you       to wear me like one
                                    I shove all of my vulnerability into this handsock        let it left let it let

Shannon Hearn is a poet and teacher in Binghamton and Brooklyn, NY whose work has appeared or is forthcoming with Action, Spectacle, Bruiser, cream city review, Fugue, Voicemail Poems, and others; their poem “WHAT MARRIAGE IS / TENDER CARE” was an Academy of American Poets Prize honorable mention, selected by Leah Umansky. She is the author of the chapbook tracing circles in dirt (Bottlecap Press).