Moment of Reply

Moment of Reply

Sleep well little sister
and try not to cry
for there is too little time to spend it on tears
or talking to phantoms without any faces
The world is too big
and your room too small
to believe that this is all there is
and ever might be

Despite the distance between here and tomorrow
Despite the difficulty of family
the flimsy silhouettes of friends
and hard weight of money and debt
there is still something else
something untold and untouched
a shape without corners or edges
a space undefined
a color you’ve yet to uncover
spinning somewhere inside your chest
A coin that is yours to spend
but yours to earn as well

It is yours to learn to stand
and discover motion amidst gravity
to wait and know patience among the hurried
to smile and know peace among the angry
to remember yesterday and not forget tomorrow
to see tomorrow without releasing today

There is nothing easy in this
nothing simple or true
nothing lasting
and very little to hold on to
There is only the repeated question
and your voice waiting to speak
each answer one more inch against the distance

So sleep well sweet sister
and drink deep your dreams
for morning comes too quickly for much comfort
and dreams are no more than distractions
from the moment of your reply