Not Nothing Again

I think of nothing but wind

or the black universe

though we see the sky bestrewn

with stars and planets.

Or see the black universe

as a chest of puzzles and toys

with stars and planets.

A circle with rings.

As if a chest of puzzling toys,

I wonder about my pink bear,

a circus with rings,

and a carousel of armadillos.

I wander with my pink bear.

I think of nothing as wind.

Also, as a carousel of armadillos

and bees strewn across the skies.

Notes:

This piece is part of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize portfolio in the October 2023 issue.

Source: Poetry (October 2023)