Sunday Afternoon

By Israfel Sivad

from his poetry collection, The Tree Outside My Window, available here.

Believe me when I say that
I have seen the stars of night
sparkle in the light
of a woman’s sight.

I have forgotten more visions
of mirages on sand
than grains of that same sand
ever slipped through my hands.

I have lost more lives
than have ever been stolen
from a cat on the prowl
or a family in war.

I have stared at myself
until I grew roots
and cut those roots
to move downstream