Enigma Machine

            In the quiet well of a Friday afternoon,
I carry laundry in my arms up the stairs.

            As long as the light falls without burning,
the plant by the bathroom window

           can lower its hands after a night
of praying. It takes a lifetime of work 

           to learn how to consume your portion,
and just as long to even begin to understand

           you are not what you choose to carry,
you can choose to set it down.