As we age, the language thief steals
our important words.
God is an important word.
So is Serophene, three rings
of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen
supported by a carbon backbone
that creates underlying conditions
and risks of complications.

Tonight, the clouds are filled
with young rain wrapped in ice,
the desert soundscape moves between
the exchange surfaces inside and outside
your mind.
Your tongue rides high to find
the letter N.
The laughing thrush, the old world sparrows
form a bursting star pattern against
the permeable sky.

Robert Wilson is a writer whose poems have most recently appeared in Welter and SoFLoPoJo. His poem Dolphin Tour was nominated for Best of the Net in 2023 and his poem Spring Tide was the 2024 winner of the Water to Words contest sponsored by the Seneca (New York) Park Zoo Society. He lives beside the ocean in Cape Haze, Florida.