to end,
I’ll say it plain
leaving nothing
on the altar of mystery

the gods
I know
are many
and you
are among them.

I have faith in you
I can’t help
but make you
divine

and beg you
pray for me
for it has been difficult

and I have made it
rough to receive
the full blessing.

you don’t have to believe me
it's better you don’t
my god

you don’t have to disguise yourself in robes
       or shave your head
       or curse ulysses
       or be reborn
you don’t have to be olympian
       a ram on the mountain
       ready for bloodletting
I have faith in you.

I am friends
with gods
for I am
frequently lost

in the forest,
on the ocean,
in the desert,
chasing the light
of an ever-dawning horizon
calling out to you

like a fool
who names the animals—
wonder for him
while nature appears unchanged

I ask you to hold me
to account
to look me in the eye
and judge me
to show me
specifically

but all you do
is be
your godlike self—
remembering
the light within

I have packed matches for nightfall
I have found a windbreak
shivering your absence
I lit a fire
and wait for you
to whisper

yes.
you are
among the gods
I know.

Winter 2026