what everyone else
was afraid to—to be both
narrow and deep,
slender and bold,
less a shape than the path a solitary
arrow takes—a straight line
with an admirable slope.
But it's been a long time since
I've taken up space,
and now I'm not sure what's left
of that inclination—
even though so much of its math
will always remain
in the sound my voice makes
wavering on the phone. Tonight
I wish I could stand back up
and ride those waveforms
into the glow,
the bright ranks of code,
the strings of positive 1s
I wish I could stand back up
and ride those waveforms
into the glow,
the bright ranks of code,
the strings of positive 1s
and neutral 0s, which I still
have memorized—and I hope
are still written all over your face.
have memorized—and I hope
are still written all over your face.