from the new book of poems

What one requires
changes with age
not the container nor the contents but joy
sprouts wild, though true
happiness may be forgotten, trampled
by carelessness, but here lies the trick love forgets:
happiness when pressed,
when ground to the flesh,
leaves a scent.

Let us whisper in the dark, directions in which one assembles a life:
start with the beams marked A and B, continue on
with C and D until nothing is left.

What one requires: _____________

Fill in the blank, because if love has done her job,
if she has gone mad with expectations,
leeched the body of desire, nothing is needed.

Directions to disassemble a life

1) start with the heart; do not believe it is a muscle.
2) cut
3) eat