my water flows on a translucent star

I peel off my skin;

eyes, muscle, bare calcium

reveal themselves--

I am just meat.

Through my chest,

I can feel

the shadow of the moon,

the olive green leaves,

my name,

the yellow of the sun.

I wonder if keeping

an empty mind

maintains a tidier flesh.

When I allow emptiness,

I feel more connection

and my clocks start to run--

as if they were never broken.

When I celebrate myself,

the stars send messages,

birds, and kisses to my window

so I don’t let go

of the other parts

of myself and the world

to get buried under my knees.