So often I wish to be
Away from the touch
Of kings, the touch that
Causes me to shine,
The touch to paralyze.
So often I stumble
Through the crossfire
Of ins and outs
Bowing at the waist
From the buffeting
On both sides –
And all along I
Thrash my arms to
Try and rise to the surface.
And still so often
I sink in the shallows
That surround us all.
So often I swim
In a sunken sea
Somewhere short
Of where I really
Wish to be, wanting
To be with someone else.
So often a lion roars
Across an open field;
I turn and run away
Only to be devoured
By the pride.
-Dakin 8/25/93
