is it here
the lifetime
the hours
the minutes
the moments
you work so hard for
kill yourself
push your mind to its unsustainable limits
your heart to its non-containable boundaries
those out-of-sync metal drums
steel tubers slithering between your ears
a maelstrom of indecent wavelengths
not silent since
Silent Night split open the cheer seams
of your calloused fingers
will they ever notice
will he
the lifetime
the hours
the minutes
the moments
sacrificed
a shining star at the top
these endless soul-lurching efforts
is what you daily imagine
when your brain has space left
and the tree is vertical
upright and fresh
in the daylight
things hide beneath other weights
wet spoons and sockets could fry away this opus
remember to wait for the dark
I promise
delicate lights will remind you
rest a minute
a moment
allow the silent night
to quiet your nerves
in this tiny magical space
reserved for you alone
the lifetime
the hours
the minutes
the moments
the ruckus in your body
the battles in your mind
the promise to yourself
never lose sight of the star
the one you placed perfectly on the tree
in the finest snippets of clarity
your mantra
and mine
the inner-voice of relentless hope
it is in these tiniest moments
timelines do not matter
even in its frailest state
hope
is our shining gift

with hope we are at our best
in hope we are at our most human

Baby Elf