worse or nervous in the pace
_____of a room, another evening: nothing named but we kept
_____listening to each breaking, breeze-
distant thought, the news
_____tucked in strands and stubborn.
One day soon
we will scrape by
_____on our disavowals. Meanwhile, sunsets again
_____and belief—
our hands hurry to hear
_____our last losses.
Lauren Camp serves as New Mexico Poet Laureate. She is the author of eight poetry collections, most recently In Old Sky (Grand Canyon Conservancy, 2024), which grew out of her experience as Astronomer-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park. Her work has been supported by a Dorset Prize, a Glenna Luschei Award from Prairie Schooner, fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and Black Earth Institute, and finalist citations for the Arab American Book Award and Adrienne Rich Award. Her poems have been translated into Mandarin, Turkish, Spanish, French, and Arabic. www.laurencamp.com
