There is a lone cricket in the room and he is talking to me
He is asking me why I’m not talking about the real things
Why I continue to pile boxes on my memories
He cleans his slight legs as he asks me again
In a lovely sing song calmness I haven’t felt the whole long day
Why are you piling these boxes, Miss?
Isn’t it time to un-blur the eyes
And open them up
One by one
He helps me
He helps me open each flap
Gawking in tender silence
No words, only chirping wings
Silently croaking hyms of love
How else would my hands stop shaking
As I keep opening more boxes
I hear more crickets
He’s called his friends
They’re cheering me on
They say I can do it
Damnit I can go back to the memories of hot tears that still make me tremble and break my days into sleep sleep and sleep
They keep going
Yes yes
My hands keep saying yes yes
Am I there yet
Am I remembering Yet
The crickets go silent for a bit
And all I hear is the dead silence of the nigh and before I can jump sounds
The OG cricket smiles at me
And says in a kind of kindness
I haven’t heard even from the ones who promised to love me
‘You don’t have to open all the boxes on the same night ‘
Subrosa Lane 