The Gift


Somebody out there bears a gift
in his blood.

We are among those who received
the gift without warning.

Or we were warned. And still
we opened our bodies to receive it.

We have put the word out
for anyone who might be carrying
the gift.

We wonder about the man who
dropped it into our laps with
deathly generosity.

With our gift, we could be terrorists
of the flesh.

Somebody is turning his lover over,
pulling the ribbon off the top
of the gift.

from Tilting Our Plates To Catch The Light

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