author’s photo

I Wish

I wish I could take
all your anxiety away and
stuff it in one of

My boxes I keep in
the closet in case
I need it someday.

I would tape it shut
so you don’t feel it again,
hide it in the back

Next to the grocery bags
and I would forget where
I put it, so you wouldn’t worry.

I wish I could take what
it is that makes you
afraid of my touch

So that my hand,
gentle on your head
would not seem a threat

But feel warm and soft
like the towels you
always try to find in

Stores we visit together
and when I am not with you
I search for the soft and warm

You crave but
never seem to know
where it is, so you

Keep searching for that
safety and can’t see that
I am standing next to you.