Rearranging the Bits

I take the bits
and the forces
that bond them together,
and scramble them
in the clouds above
and in the bowels of the earth
to rearrange the way I see myself
in order not to fear the view.

I see your skin
touch the sky in splendor
as you focus your will
onto those bits
and rearrange them into
a pattern that is more pleasing
to the eye of the soul,

but with each passing day,
each week, each month,
and the dreaded passing year,
those bits are falling
away from one another
and forming the ghost
I see in the mirror.

© Joanne Zarrillo Cherefko