I fall to my knees
and begin
praying

I do this because
my parents
do this

but when I
do this
I pray until I fall

deeply into sleep
so deep
that I sink

into the hardwood floor
into the earth
below the house

I sink so far down
that I return
to my original position

it is there
I begin
questioning faith

by drawing myself
into a vast
and improbable ocean

and upon swallowing it
in its entirety
I can feel every

secret in the universe
sloshing back and
forth in my stomach

each secret a quiet vessel
desperately hoping to break
a non-breaking wave