9. I came to Carolina in a waking dream

​for vicki 

I came to Carolina in a waking dream
limbs glued in broken shapes, predator faces pasted to the backside of eyelids
     But you called me by my name
I stumbled through the motions of fun
method acting recovery, every lecture hall a stage where I played another character
     But you called me by my name
I wheezed out a long list of joyful accidents
smiles that left shadows on my face, breathless and apologetically jumbled
     But you called me by my name
I doubt the girl in the mirror still
shame clouding her features, blurring time lines such that I am dragged back sometimes
     But you remind me of that light in my pen, the poetry in my mind; your embrace recalls my skin
     No matter how my humanity disguised, you always knew and called my name