Periodical Poem by Whit Leyenberger

If you would believe anything
Believe in declining realities
Living in snatches and glimpses
nothing is not held like water
in uncalloused palms
your sorrow is not yours
it belongs to the expading emptiness
shared in all created things
your body isn’t either; it’s a hostage of death
you can never own your happiness
stop trying, it is a gasp of electric oxygen
exhale, exhale and seek fresh inspiration
let it all go, and it will come to you
understanding is not a path or a web even
but tiny particles suspended in a blithe wind
the paths and webs are comforting feints
the only thing that can be truly yours is perspective
what lies between and beyond these particles
lay your own roads, build your own nets
they’re all you have after all