other people’s poems
that kid in the green asked me about
sandcastles
so i placed him in the morning
all dogs at doors will have broken noses
and all hand in hand will be referred to as
i could do that
i cleaned my fingernails with the corner of your book
claws at your words i wanted them inside my hand
a man on the subway was missing the tips of fingers
holding on just the same
i wanted to search his
home for letters
the ones falling off the beginning of my words
this motive this motive that moves you
i held them once from inside my gloves
i read a poem and stopped shaving
i read your poem and stopped
words in book in hand in hand
with the names of
women who autographed my fingertips
how did you write my book
where did you find my words
one cultivated her handwriting to have me
shelving books by color
we waved our hands above our heads
looked for each other’s missing inches
measured them with fingertips
this next poem
starts with
