{ now you see me, now --- }

my new sunglasses, they
have emerald-green rims and
leopard-print arms. when i wear them,
i am vintage and new, i don't feel quite myself ---
but i like that. i am suspended in time,
girl and woman, then and now.
sometimes eyes hide. other times they scream.

i've always spoken with one million words
or none at all: schizophrenic mouth. i crack
everybody up or i puzzle them (why
do you think she's so quiet today?).
this way they never know just who i am ---
but i like that.

i am suspended in your imagination,
bubbly amber and poreless obsidian.
shadowed history, unformed future,
characterized but wholly unknown:
do you see me passing by? do you
feel the current of this mystery, these eyes?

--- s.r.