erlking conundrum

my seven-year-old self writing it
vibrates with the restlessness 
and ramshackle intimacy 
that have long distinguished me. 

lest inspiration fade,
question marks about my heart,
adventurous spirit feels intertwined 
with that unwieldiness. 

nothing that belongs 
on a mid-2010s indie mood board,
just as easily a soundtrack for a séance 
as a midday Brooklyn coffee shop.

it’s a yearning for transcendence, 
for connection,
crisscrossing the country, 
pining for a lover.

such mine moments can’t be replicated 
through Zoom squares or remote sessions,
block blogs or other bullshit
in this beautiful, beguiling limited existence.