Shepherds
No man has sat with me for hours
while I shucked the agony from out my mouth
and let it boil my skin
But women have.
Women hold cool herbs and light against my body
guide them past shields and into pores
watch the wound heal and shrink
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No man has ever cupped his hands below mine
to catch the overflow of life
as it poured itself from the edges of my fingers
But women have.
Women bring buckets to fill
whole houses that I can furnish with rage and grief
they let me break things and be broken.
Women know not to fix
but to walk each other towards the whole universe
the ecliptic plane
held in each of us
however slowly
however many times we must circle the maze
In tedium or in speed
we dig out the dirt
however deep
however rough, twisted, and maimed
we layer balms
We shepherd each other.
