Angela Hoffman

Lost Souls

She is the Patron Saint of Lost Souls.
She will rescue a nest, branch, feather
stones of any kind, a chair or dresser from the curb,
give them a place inside her home.
She gives things second chances like that angel with one wing,
and the headless statue in her garden, her marriage.
She knows what it’s like to be discarded.
She would say she is more spiritual than religious,
forever searching for her God gone missing.
She claims she meditates but we all know that she really gives
every thought that seeps into her head all the attention it wants.
She is a worrier.
She thrives on routines, makes lists and lists for her lists,
and you can’t help but forgive her obsession with order
when she straightens items in your home that are off kilter.
She is envious of those who travel,
having lived her whole life in the same small town,
but admits she prefers to stay home.
She is easily distracted, and sometimes she doesn’t listen
as she is too busy worrying about what you think of her.
She is able to see your every shifting mood;
that slight lift in your brow, the droop of your shoulder,
a single tear, the shake of your head.
She comes across as shy, but it just takes her a bit
to come up with the words she wants to say. She is not eloquent.
Often she says too much, too soon upon meeting you.
She is vulnerable that way.
She takes notes of everything she reads
as that’s how she anchors her thoughts, keeps them from going missing.
She tends to tell you what to do, but really she just wants you
to avoid the pain of figuring things out all on your own.
She wants to pick at your core.
She is bold in her questions, wants a peek into your private life,
wants to know where you go, what you do with your time.
She wants to know how you feel, what you said, how you said it.
She struggles with showing her love, but craves it more than anything.
She is fearful about much, mostly about being lost
in large buildings, on highways, side streets, so try to be tender
with her questions. Are you sure this is the right way?
Do you know the way back? She says she was born
with no sense of direction, claims that it is a real condition.
She wonders how she will ever overcome that deep sense
of not knowing her way.
She needs her own Patron Saint of Lost Souls.

Angela Hoffman lives in Wisconsin. With her retirement from teaching and the pandemic coinciding, she took to writing poetry. She writes a poem a day. Her poetry has been widely published. Angela’s collections include Resurrection Lily 2022, Olly Olly Oxen Free 2023, and Hold the Contraries, forthcoming 2024 (Kelsay Books).