I saw a strange bird on the water
Like a gray bit of dandelion tuft
Strayed from the stem and blown far away
To the deepest part of the woods
Where the light pries in small, weak webs
I saw a strange man on the street
Like a skeleton key
Thrown rusted away in a drawer
To the farthest reaches of the city
Where he has forgotten his own, particular use
I saw myself in a mirror
Like a defeated old crone
Bent low by selfish worries and regret
To the nadir of existence and childhood
Where there is no beginnings, only ends
I saw many things, but took only some to heart;
Others, I denied and buried
And others, I sowed