once you commit
to crossing
there is no going back
barbed wire requires
certain care
look at a leather couch
or my left palm
those thin scars come easy
but heal hard
pole fences appear
easy to climb
but wood rots
nails rust and betray
everything tumbles down
stone, steal, concrete
all this division of
land, labor, love
build a wall
around your heart
and then, when
you find yourself
on the fence
don’t linger