Bernaadine Lortis

oh, you sly one, go ahead, wear your black beret
tilt it, stylish over one eye tonight
wink coy and flirtatious
to keep me off guard, entranced

last week you somersaulted like a clown
landed upside down, suspended—
an unseen toddler at play
with a tattered bouncy ball

last month you hid from me
Hide-and-Seek—not a funny game
when I count on you to beam and glow
chase away aching, hungry clouds

I won´t get complacent anymore
I know I can´t depend on your mood
to endure more than a few nights
I have been slow to learn

your support is determined
by nothing that occurs in my life
rather, you rely on a larger universe
I am not the center of
not even a silly star