New | Poetry | Emma Caterinicchio

Artwork by Harsh Kumar

For I fear, 

And fear I for,

The things that could desert me,

That make me happier than can be,

And are, truly, temporary highs,

In a life of all of the above.

        ***

A friend here, 

A friend there, 

One in my pocket, 

One on a plane, 

That one sleeps too much, 

That one not at all.

A friend here, 

A friend there, 

One smiling wide, 

One breaking down, 

That one likes to worry, 

That one does as well. 

A friend here, 

A friend there, 

One making thousands, 

One unemployed, 

That one doesn’t talk much, 

And all are in my heart.

     ***

I can create it, 

Just wait and see, 

I point my finger in space,

And make a melody.

I can create it,

Allow me the room to shine, 

I thread it through my fingers, 

And make a sweet design. 

I can create it, 

Don’t turn away, 

Watch me move my lips, 

And listen to what I say. 

I can create it, 

Don’t be alarmed, 

I move my hips like this, 

And the whole room is charmed. 

I can create it, 

Don’t need to wait in line, 

I place a seed into soil, 

And allow creation to shine.

    ***

At night they’d crawl, 

Out from their daytime slumber, 

What bigness the world had to offer, 

Always something new strewn about, 

And always something sleeping, 

Until they’d reach out, 

And touch it awake.

When something wakes at night, 

Versus in the early morning, 

The awakeness is different and delicious, 

Its energy comes from an internal eternal place, 

Rather than the sun. 

Play those sweet night melodies,

Long limbs that crawl, 

And wonder why the world is so quiet, 

When there is so much awe.