An Autumn Sestina

A single, singular leaf
swirling against sunlight
into meditation beyond a blue day
brings her to an edge – forgotten
but not misplaced as she had thought,
straying on purpose while awake.

The trick, she knows, when awake
is to free-fall like an autumn leaf
without worry, without thought,
welcoming rain just as sunlight.
Hiding in the arbor is not forgotten
climbing, ignoring fresh bruises of this day.

Dreams of night melt into day
as early morning birds scream “awake!”
Terrors of past darkness are best forgotten
like the shedding a tired leaf.
Even as the moon craves sunlight,
she reaches for warm embrace of thought.

Do birds carry any thought
than stretching across the day,
drinking rain, singing praise, bowing to sunlight?
As on wings, her spirit becomes awake.
Does a bird ever long to dance with a leaf,
spinning until time is forgotten?

No child’s dream stays forgotten,
not the glorious, not the darkest thought.
She wishes she could place her hurt on a leaf
and let it wither to feed another day.
The strongest fears while awake
are lost in forest’s dappled sunlight.

She is a branch in sunlight
but with roots and stories forgotten,
nothing to haunt her while awake.
The freedom of such thought
brings yearning for a different day
like an unfurling of joy upon a leaf.

Time is aware of fading sunlight.
As the tree frees a leaf, sorrow is forgotten
and thought becomes hope within a green day.

Tilting against the horizon

The pilgrim
pulls the gossamer threads
into his fist –
right from the beak of the black bird
and yanks the fuckers
so hard,
the horizon tilts

and when it’s righted again,
only an old hickory is left
to shake tales and feathers
loose with its leaves.

Where beneath I wore electric blue

With sweetly rotting blooms
resting on my table,
I drum a tattooed peace
while I pray to my god
who gives me second chances
to twirl in fog
or salute empty hordes
with Emmett Kelley,
sweeping spotlight
into glittery bins.

I clench in private places
when loud engines pass by
and I soothe myself
wondering if beets still hold magic.

Farther West

You think everything I say is lush
and promising today
because it is unseasonably warm
with a wild and heady wind
blowing from the west-
farther west
than we have ever been.

Beware the illusion
of floating roses in moonlight-
my toes firmly grip soil
even as I reach for you;
there is no navigating a spinning moon.

Rain on the windshield

Are we
always
chasing when we don’t know what’s next?

Tell me
if I
ever get close enough to ask.

The terrors
of not knowing have passed,
Awareness
has slipped by again.

And we stretch like…
…late autumn skies-

And we take
our time
finding touch
needing yours to settle in mine.

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