When I Was Alone
       

When I was alone
I ate only popcorn, stayed unwashed,
roamed my house as a cave
and I the lone greedy inhabitant—
left to my own twists became
part animal, all narcissist—I
replayed the same movie, sharpened
each pencil, ransacked the attic,
drank scotch from a thimble, kept
indulging dizzy whims until keeping
at it led to some further liberation—derived
from a solitary listening—one
full long day of following myself
wherever I might lead, the paths of excess
commanding every cell of my attention,
and when it was over I went out on the patio
and that's when I thought about my babies
growing up, and the brigade of trees standing watch.

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Copyright © 2020 Leslie Williams All rights reserved
from Even the Dark
Southern Illinois University Press
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission