Verse: Call me by my name

the clouds
counsel no one
they keep
their indifferent
distance and
occasionally
loose the rain
and yet they do not
call me by my name

the tv
and the newspapers
with their
breathless analysis
of the events
of the day
constantly vying
for my attention
yet they do not
call me by my name

not doctors who
administer medicines
with clinical
precision
nor priests
who take my
confession and
offer their orisons
all their
care and kindness
cannot reach me
they do not
call me by my name

not hope
with its nagging
persistence
nor fear that
burrows deep
within my
trembling breath
nor passion
which invigorates
my insatiable longing
they do not call me
by my name

my heart
soft and infinite
my hands rough
and inconsistent
my ears ever
awaiting the
exquisite voice
of anyone
who would call me
by my name

the vagaries
of my profession
sequestered mornings
that slide into
idle afternoons
I yearn for any
distraction
call me by my name
and soon