restless
by Lydia K. Valentine*

I weave through cottony darkness, seeking,
seeking the fine silvery thread that will
lead me, lead me, out of this quilted state
of restlessness. Insomniatic nights
coupled with coffee-fueled days shake me,
shake my tenuous grasp on right and left,
up and down, back and forth; obscuring my
path, my place, my poem, altering
the pieces and peace of me.

—
* (c)2020 Lydia Kay Valentine
from “Brief Black Candles”

Published in the United States by
Not a Pipe Publishing
www.NotAPipePublishing.com

Trade Paperback Edition
ISBN-13:978-1-948120-63-0

used with permission.