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)