Part of You

i. Penance.

At sunrise you'll stop for rest, somewhere
between here & Mexico, Tokyo, or other
inordinate location you've chosen to
escape to. But an escape implies

a sense of permanence, and is wrong
when you know you'll be back. You're
all flight & no fight, since the voice
of the child inside; the bitter, bewildered
child crying mine mine mine mine mine

will haunt you until you drown it out,
somehow with depression, or regress
into some selfish myopic state where
the future remains intangible & strangely
unnecessary.

ii. Clarity

That image isn't you, as you recognize
the reality and speak clearly; intonated
over your insecure screaming youth
and always carefully regard the whole,
the I that is part of you that will never

go away; that will remain and remind you
who you really are & where you are going,
regardless of who you fool along the way.