12. lettered shut

a letter | is a character

a note | not music

but musical | at times

(not now) | it speaks

more than | it tells

it’s connection | more than

a communication | or words

a gift | more than

a message | I received

a message | from you

yesterday | and read

it with | attention to

its performance | of humor

dry wit | standup sans

standing or | voice or

expression it | reminded me

of you | who once

were often | around me

in years | too long

to remember | to believe

 

in the | process of

preparing to | take an

elevator down | to pick

up mail | and to

drop off | a postcard

to you | I placed

my glass | down on

(or tried | to place)

my glass | on the

counter it | fell and

I tried | to catch

it in | its fall

but caught | shattering glass

instead and | a clean

slice of | the pad

of my | fingertip into

a flap | of skin

causing no | pain but

blood flowed | freely out

of me | and down

 

for this | reason I

am now | typing this

letter with | my left

hand mostly | with the

middle finger | of my

left hand | sliding that

finger over | the keyboard

until I | reach the

character I | need and

in this | way this

letter as | poem is

a performance | one of

endurance and | time for

I must | consider each

character but | you won’t

experience my | performance you

will see | the result

sans action | sans movement

you will miss | the poem

for these | bare words