A RETURN

You came to salt the earth

and you salted it.

I came on my heel.

You lifted our shirt flaps and instructed

skin and scar

to talk, baby cheeks hot

with fever. They talked.

I came on my heel.

You came to salt the earth

and you salted it, but I was too tired of mourning

to mourn any more.

Lie: I mourned a little more.

I came on my heel.

You came on my belly, in my mouth,

near my mouth, then on my belly again.

Inside I was pink with ants, very happy

ants. You felt it. I was glad.

I revisited my despair and found myself

used to it. No triumph there.

Not fair. Salted.