Turning Poem by William Pryor

the universe
is a single turn
and my turn
is invisible to the naked I
since the spiracles
of my being
turn everything
into yes or no
on or off
life or death


its in the line
between these
that I would seek
my turning:


I would need three wishes
the first would be
to live
and eye the universe

when this turned out
to be no answer
my second wish
would be to turn
into nothing

to be dead
and on the other side
of that line?
the line around which
the universe turns

my third wish
could then be
to walk that line?
as it snakes
between my mother's eye
and another woman's
having the first twinkle.