Angst
(Carmelita T. Jaramillo, August 2023, Cosmic Soul)
bloodied to the elbows
tilled to the knees
this worn-out old ghost
has run out of pleas
what is it that’s cut
what is it that bleeds
it’s just this hard heart
and the love that it needs
a day with no ending
a night without rest
a shirt with torn seams
becomes Sunday’s best
winters with no heat
a smile that’s empty
lone stalks of wheat
dry out and get heavy
seconds with no chance
a face with stalled hands
all those young hopeful
dreams no longer in the plans
scraggly horses yoked up
with no need for a bridle
old engine that’s broken
truck that won’t even idle
and yet the gray horizon
from dusty dawn to dusk
still boasts upright figures
who go on as all life must
