Moderation

when does it begin
the unraveling of a second life?

a mild labor becomes panic
worry becomes plague

the first one unravels slowly,
through callow deceits and little deaths
a finger here,a theft there

a child's heart is more buoyant
than the heart of a second life

a child's heart spins a fantasy around every horror
a woman's heart spins a horror around every fantasy

the first life is loaded with bright light bursting naked into the day
pillows soft with baby powder and saliva

the second life is loaded with daybreak shuttered
pillows soaked with tears and vodka

a childs eye is set on the summer unfolding, pranks to be exercised
a womans eye is set on the clock, games long over

the first life promises shift around every angle

the second life promises transformation,

movement into a third,
the long way home