(neither the best foot, nor a good face)

I want to stay somewhere tranquil,
a place without traffic and without voices
that cry out or drizzle on and on,
wrestless as five-legged crickets.

I am missing something crucial.
Without it, my thoughts circle, uncertain,
unable to leap above or struggle through.
I'm snagged in carpet fibers, tangled with myself.


If only I could settle out. Sit still
until the sediment of my heart quits whirling
and sinks into neatly identifiable strata:
60% self-absorption, 30% growing pains, 10% legitimate concern . . .

or something.