Sestina

She puts on her boots and coat, walks out the door, waves

who knows where she's going, she's moving so fast

no money, no plan, except to go for broke

and to listen only to the speaking of her heart

What is life after all, but this one lesson

repeated, everything changes, everyone leaves

It's autumn, the trees have let go their leaves

the wind's blown the surface of the lake into waves

She needs to swim, even breathing's a lesson

the body relearns in the rhythm of water, slow, fast fast

to the steady pumping of blood from the heart

that can be, and will be, she doesn't yet know it, broken

She finds out what it means to be so broke

you sleep in the park, where through the leaves

the silver spoon of the moon gladdens your heart

and the hunger for living comes in wild waves

When she can't eat, she will willingly fast

She can't help but learn it, that hunger does lessen

She's learning all those other lessons

that you don't need to fix it, if its not broke

that maybe you shouldn't always move so fast

that sometimes, it doesn't matter how, you must just leave

and also, some other time you can let the next big wave

take you to the shore, carry you. She takes heart

But this is the problem with hearts

as unruly as hers, no lesson

is really learned. When he waves

goodbye the several pieces, broken 

lie there, like autumn leaves

crumble when she tries to hold them fast

Not too slow, not too fast

this is the rhythm of the heart

flowers drop their petals, trees their leaves

they have no need of lessons

when, on the shore it's broken

it recedes and starts again, the wave

The past, where the waves break

and her heart beats fast

is always a lesson in what we leave