My pelvis is tight because
my jaw is tight and
my jaw is tight because
have you seen the 
state of this place

My vagus nerve is stuck
clenched up at the base of my skull
yeah ok and
someone wants to sell me a 
wellness plan with daily exercises
for that and
fine

some days I want to sit on 
a rock with my 
sufferings
and just 
not
buy
in

The squirrel leaping from the bird feeder
clearing the fence like she can fly
but she cannot
the squirrel is as loose as the
day she was nested

The woodpecker is so free that she
doesn’t even know 
her tongue musculature is wrapped 
around her brain to keep it from
vibrating into a million pieces

She is never embarrassed to be
loud, repetitive, slightly dazed
She leaves a mess of holes
behind

Oh how my fractured consciousness needs
a muscle that immobilizes my brain and
my tongue 
hugging them tightly together
shush
both of you shush
hold on to trees and listen for bugs
so that, when the time is right
you will fling yourself over 
fences
loose 
and 
free

written on the beautiful grounds of Sisters of St Joseph’s convent, Baden, PA