“10:17 am” by Avi Moss-Slavin

I’ve made a big mistake

I don’t know what it is yet

I don’t know if karma’s even taken note

of the error in my ways

ten bejeweled hands entering my

data on a heavy keyboard

it takes the heel of a hand

to sink the ‘Enter’ key

but I’m getting caught up in the details

I need to wipe off the

sheen of sweat that has

collected in my right earlobe

it’s hard to feel clean

in the heat of fear

as I ghost over the puzzle

pieces of the night before

I’ve always been told that

to bemoan what cannot be

changed is an ultimately fruitless

endeavor but that doesn’t stop my

heavy breath or my contorting stomach

when do you stop fearing yourself?