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i saw a man die

when i think of this body as a burial ground

does that mean i am a burial ground?

i beg the question

the question begs me back.

sometimes as i lay in bed i wonder

if this man i knew would still be alive

if he did not touch that child, those children, me.

sometimes when i kneel to not pray

i wonder if my mother will ever find her way back to me

if i will dare to visit home,

or home will dare to visit me.

sometimes i wonder if i would have said yes to the woman

the lady who laid hands on me

if she had asked nicely.

my answers to all these questions are

yes, maybe and amen.