Quiet Excitement

by Dainon Jay Moody

Greeting the invisible wall

of wind with my face, I squint

and search with a spirit

that detects people waiting

to make commitments. My heart

thumps to break free, running

from house to house, leaping,

shouting to those with ears to hear

this gospel that makes me happy.

I continue to smile

at a man who stops slicing

his tree to talk English to me,

trying to quiet the Spirit

boiling my adrenaline, watching

my companion rattle off Tagalog,

marveling at his height.

Which Way Is Up? by Annie Alexander