Small Talk
       

A mouse scared my stomachache away.
It has something to do with adrenaline.
All the best panaceas are natural.
I pull clean water
through my teeth and marvel
at a waterfall I'll never see.
Every day the sun rises in Baja Sur
as fresh coffee beans are ground.
I take two hits and sleep.
Please don't tell me
about your dreams.
Do tell me what you listen for
wide awake in the night—
if insomnia improves your hearing,
and the fire escape has rhythm.
If your body breaks into waves
and if anyone is there to witness it.

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Copyright © 2022 Kirsten Shu-ying Chen All rights reserved
from light waves
Terrapin Books
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission