mine, all mine

Lila Goldstein

mine, all mine
my muggy mornings, my resistance
take the world but leave me this:
aprils, augusts, decembers on the sidewalk

i hit the curve, travel the loop 
orange houses, yellow houses
beige pavement, yellow pavement, bruised and green with mold
dart before me! Geckos, cranes, wayward Canadian geese
caught, I remarked, stuck in time, in place

on a warm day life surrounds me
i am scooted around, excused
nothing left to do, nowhere to go
i am patient, gracious; good morning!

i must have this for myself
i hit the stop sign: twenty minutes ‘til home
if I keep going straight I’ll know where I am
twenty more times this summer
and I’ll be gone for the fall, the unbearable heat
and I’ll be back for break in the coolness of Christmas 
and I’ll have never even left