Preparation
Where do I begin
describing the beginning
to the end—what business
of this is mine
Something or someone tells you
you’ve been here before
—so very long ago
What kind of ending is this
intimate believer of the faith
—Angels from heaven visiting you
night after night
helping you
up & down
the staircase
—saving yourself enough strength
to prepare a cooked egg
atop a slice of toast
After an exhaustive night
you don’t remember a single one of them
—but somehow their names
repeat over & again in your mind:
Raphael
Jerahmeel
—and of course Michael
How they feed you bits of wisdom
and you nod & repeatedly say:
yes I know
yes I know
I remember you saying so in the dream
Soon
—soon child
—patience will reward you
december two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved





