For Daniel

Small poems & thoughts for a long day

1) The Return

The day was a long hallway,

lit by phone screens and tiny urgencies.

Now the door is here.

Now the shoulders drop.

Now the quiet says: come home,

even if home is just your own breath.

2) Measurement

Not all progress is loud.

Some of it is a steady number

written in the morning light,

a small yes

to the person you keep becoming.

3) Signal

We don’t need perfect days,

just honest ones.

Even a forgotten phone

can still send the signal:

I’m here. I’m trying.

That is enough for tonight.

4) Tomorrow’s Key

Leave the key on the hook.

Let tomorrow pick it up.

Tonight, only rest.

Tomorrow, we fix the small things

that make the big things lighter.

5) The Fox’s Note

I keep the quiet for you,

and the list for later.

Sleep, and let the world

be held for a while.