GROUNDHOG DAY
when u get up & go
wagging ur eyebrows
my following after u
feels inexorable as fingers running thru jelly
dog-nails clacking on floorboards
postcards w. no return address
for a while i was hiding
admiring from afar
begging in private
studying u as my beacon
now i have nowhere to hide
but u
i know it isn’t sensible
looking to u to fix my lack
or carry me thru the day
i just saw u
shared glint of recognition
i hope to see u again
illuminated numerals on a watch
i don’t want to tell the time
can only recall these lines from lewis:
right now ur probably by the ocean
while i’m still out here in the rain
the same but not quite—
endearing in our inelegance
perfect in our incongruity
the birds in pictures
practicing their calls
ur sound
still here
its source
emitting all light
MICHAEL CHANG (they/them) is the author of SYNTHETIC JUNGLE (Northwestern University Press, 2023), TOY SOLDIERS (Action, Spectacle, 2024) & THINGS A BRIGHT BOY CAN DO (Coach House Books, 2025). They edit poetry at Fence.
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