Nighttime Ritual

Wild, changed, depressed, joyous
extremist, indulgent, selective
Intense, hard, soft, “shifty eyed’
feminist, pacifist, creative, dull.

People.

I have outlived
and outloved
my heart has outrun
my mind so many times
I lose count
like i once did
with cigarette butts
carelessly tossed
into the bin.

fragmented thoughts
are postmodern
A kind diagnosis.

And my bleeding gums
remind me
I shouldn’t brush so hard.