February 2

a border is
a boundary or

a perimeter
that defines a place

in physical space
but in gerund form

bordering implies
proximity to a dangerous extreme

each sense topical
timely but also ominous

its antonym
it’s hard to name

exact shades of gray
winter sky suitcloth

ashy ashen
censer censor

one is smoke
the other smoke

and mirrors
what is implied

implicitly
can still be false

scarier
is complicity

best to clearly state
a border is a line

and a line
can be toed

but also drawn–
(you’d better)

OPTIONAL POETRY