Before the Retreat
Con/Jur/d, 4/9/2021

Before the retreat 
packed my bags,
toothbrush, creams,
medicines, socks
underwear, shirts,
electronics, pants,
took all of them,
all my memories,
all the places I’ve
been, want to go, 
seen, imagined,
have read, my
injuries, slights,
what I’ve done
and what others
did. At the gate,
they said,

“There’s no room,
for what you’ve brought,
we only have this one
small blue planet. 
Leave it. Lucky,
for you, we
have an
entire

Universe,
inside.