the music feels different today

pull
ing
music
from 
the strings,
like you’re climbing
a jagged mountain ledge.
you stumble over the events
of your day, dragging the bow
behind you.     forcing
your way ac-
ross the page,
you shove your
fingers onto the strings.
to coax every note, is what
you tell yourself. not cap-
turing them, while you relish the
deepening calluses. you’re not af-
raid to bleed, because you know it’s
music that will flow from your
veins, egged on by your 
heart, drawn out
by your
b
o
w

a 3D-printed slug

"It made me think of you," she says.

She slips it in my hand, where,
hard and plastic, it sits there
like a log, looking up at me.
"Thanks?" I wonder at it,
the multi-colored, 3D-printed slug

Thoughts swarm my brain
filling a mental venn diagram with
words like lazy and plain
and gross and slow and
who even spends time thinking
about slugs, anyway?

Curling like a worm, 
it folds between my fingers.
Its body zigs and zags
as light catches the plastic,
shiny green with hints of gold

The colors tug a memory:
she once noted, lovingly, how 
my eyes shine green with golden rings.
The little slug's soft clicks 
make the silence less alone...
The sunlight off the plastic shines 

with warmth of being known,
and walking home, I realize that
"I thought of you" means we live
in lives that aren't our own

(revised February 5, 2025)

When you grow up

Veterinarians play with puppies,
    soft fur and scratchy tongues
Police officers solve crimes,
    helping all, both old and young
Airline pilots travel,
    flying far and wide with speed
Teachers make the world go round,
    helping students love to read
Astronauts see galaxies,
    they explore in outer space
Detectives, they wear coats and hats
    and always solve the case
Scientists keep learning
    and experiments are fun
Doctors practice medicine
    always healing everyone
Many answers to the question
    that they asked to every kid
"What'll you be when you grow up?"
    My brother said "giant squid"
Now I've seen the world, though,
    and I don't know what to be
So my answer to the question...
    ...I just want to be happy