forty days of silence
forty days of sighs
forty days of star-scarred sorrow
drained teacups, sleepy eyes
forty days of tumult
forty days of cries
forty days of stretching backwards
forwards, straining to be wise
forty days of wonder
forty days of hope
forty days of bare feet tapping
tip-toeing, stamping, hopping, smoke
forty days we've waited
forty days we've tried
forty days find us, knees to the damp earth
hands no longer tied.
