Turbulence

A man might not want a child
Because he has his brain to carry around.

The passenger who whispered
Clutched his head like an infant.

I understood him.

He was sick of pontificating over revisions and drafts
Until they ruined the first burst.

This is how he explained it to me.
A solitary wreck winking back tears:

“I was scared, scared of leaving my dreams behind
and no one to interpret them.”

* * *

Fanny Howe, “Turbulence” from Love and I. Copyright © 2019 by Fanny Howe.

Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Copper Canyon Press, coppercanyonpress.org.