how to rest

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Try this one time
Go to sleep early
just shut it down
like the forest
when it rains
I walk the tall grass
to the western ridge
behind the house
pants go swish, swish
there’s a game trail
always flattened spots
where animals have slept
I’m not saying it’s easy
to be a deer or elk
but at least
you sleep when you can
I try to breathe softly
but I am human
My quiet is loud
One wet afternoon
the kind when droplets
stay on small branches
holding eye contact
for 5-second eternities
5 yards deep, a doe
snuggled in the brush
beneath a fallen tree
Front legs crossed
she lifted her eyes
looking — we were still
and I moved on
Do not do one more thing
Get under the covers
and wait for dark
If you’re lucky
it will rain