It didn’t come haloed in gold
But it felt like it.
Warm in my hands
And crisp
As it was given
To me
Or maybe I just imagined that
But it felt like a
Lifeline.
The number of places after the comma
Struck me then: we’re not
Going to worry about rent tonight.
We can breathe with our bellies loose
And sleep with the AC on
And get the steak instead of the ground chuck
And maybe you won’t have to worry
About falling asleep on the drive home.
St. Joseph, Oregon. 2016. Credit: AJ Joven