When I stepped out
into the purpled night air
even the rain smelled like you,

This nest of sun-crackled grass pulls me earthward
like seed heads drowsy with late summer’s weight,
more prone than upright, closer to winter
than to the longest day. Sunk to earth’s

I see the pictures now just as they are,
golden knights and a fearsome dragon
come to contend for the fate of our souls.
They rise from the page in a language known

“If net worth is negative,
enter zero.”
My daughter peers over my shoulder,
knows the weight of what can’t