published in Rose & Thorn Journal
How strong the wood is
how heavy the water
how fire burns you and saves you
how we can suffocate in space.
A leaf knows no direction and it cycles.
How I slip across a plank of moods
how I gaze so far in my small mind
how I am not this sick body, but a cycle–a circle,
a painted sphere in orbit given to touch–to feel–magnitudes.
I know no direction. The dark, the light–two poles of a whole.
Balance: I pull you too far down and then too high,
but at such lengths
I wander beyond myself
examining the weight
the burning
the constancy
the continent
of such a life.
Difficult Degrees 
I like how you used the metaphors in the poem to convey the message of the poem.
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i like how you examine the two sides….fire saves and kills…and this plays on out through your poem as well…the leaf cycles and your cycles beyond your sick body….intriguing piece…
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Thank you very very much Brian!
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You had me hooked with, “A leaf knows no direction…” Beautiful!
Cheers,
Mark Butkus
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This has the gravitas of truth. You are almost disconnected from the self here, witnessing the changes wisely as cycles. Great imagery, loved this, and if I could, I’d hug all the PTSD out of you. Much love and kindness, Mosk
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