Human Enough

No giants, demons, or trolls

on the horizon, only figures

of ordinary gait descending

to haunt the village and spend

leprechaun gold at the market.

But maybe they use credit cards

like the rest of us semi-mythic

beings, our debts trailing after us

No one wants to experience

the dark wind and the distance

wedged between sultry lovers.

Better to be alone with the ice

creaking on the river, the moon

sprung in its socket, cloud cover

raving through the snowy peaks.

How often I’ve huddled in fear

as trees bend to touch their toes

and the power goes off with a pop.

That’s when I’ve longed for people

of simple expressions to visit

and pronounce me human enough

to bear the weight of the stars.