because of how wind
bends trees in the courtyard
because chickadees and nuthatches
break seeds on the branches
because our brains
change what we see
because we are pattern-
making creatures
because sleep is elusive
and dreams opaque
because the cat purrs
on my shoulder
because memory is a trickster,
a coyote, a raven
because the moon is full
then a crescent, then gone
because absence cannot be seen,
it’s slippery, like water, like light
because light makes patterns
of branches on the ceiling
because i wake in the night
calling your name
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