Can't talk about exhaustion or talk about grief or talk about 
being neither here nor there
you're an echo, a shadow, a shifting fog
a scattershot, detritus, an abandonment
a loss.

Can't talk about what you miss, where it hurts, what the damage
is
you're a stalwart, an anchor, the guardrail
the glue, the elastic, the duct tape
You keep holding on, holding up, holding it 
down.

Can't talk about what's up, what's brewing, what's
at stake.
You buck up, stand tall, fix your face
plant your feet, stand your ground, dig your heels
in.


What is loss? What is grief? What is it? You don't say.


*Original draft, 11 Sept. 2021