It's not the kind of black at night when you're driving or
under your bed when you were a kid scared of the devil
but a pure black
concentrated
in a can

Unzip me
POP
kind of black in an artist's tube
squirted in the sky denuded of stars

A black that if you stare at it too long makes you afraid but
holds you at arms length
chemically paralyzed
by your own downward spinal  spiral
the rush of black past your own peripheral vision
sucked in the gravitational pull of a black hole     black

"Mom, what's yor favorite color?"
"Black."

It was the center of the known universe
then
that black planet
glinting
holding you down
until you had to look away

He smiled
You roll over
to lay your head on his chest    hear the pulsar rhythm
of your Universe

"Ground Control, can you hear me?"

You shudder
You're home