I went to the beach
today sitting in the parking
lot my walker couldn’t
traverse the craggy shore
cars stopped started and
parked next to me
sometimes obscuring
my view other times
I saw sunset

Men swirl around
me like debris in a
cyclone too many
to even reach out
and touch they’ll hurt
me if I discover a hand
to hold a foot to tickle
they fly by just thumb
prints of themselves
a fracture of themselves
their best part their best
shot their best torso
they whir past me
like carnival rides
or cotton candy machines
the men spinning into
sugar

I’m different today
than I was two weeks
ago different than I was
before I had surgery
I’m different now that a joint
has been reconstructed
like a castle wall made better
removing bone replacing ceramic
and steel it comes with a
guarantee
I’m different now
composed of external parts
like a machine under warranty
I’m different today
like I’ve been different
each day since I was born
but now a part of me is under
warranty

The day started
with an explosion
of sunlight through
sheer curtains followed
by the calls of fluttering
birds the bed is warm
next to you you still
asleep like an old dog
you’re torso peeking
from beneath the
comforter teasing
me like a dog and
toy
the sunlight now
drips into your
hair
like a
halo