Where will it lie,

that lifeless body?

I was ready to hold his–

and the trembling

of my hands

would have been his

final lesson

on the dangers of windows;

but as he clung to my right palm,

he also clung to life;

and in the end,

I let him go in the preferred way-

though, I will never know

if he went the other.

Premiered in Dudley Recital Hall on November 7, 2022 by Angela Lai (flute); Ben Petree (viola); Evelyn Chien (harp).