hazard a breath

crimson dew

burnt leaves

choking reach

afraid to look

autumn mirage

crumbled steps

rising spire

 

blinking cries

hidden corners

cool moss

brittle path

whispering water

yellowed leaves

pressed veins

silent growth

 

holding breath

taking a step

lingering smoke

woven stares

tipped to tears

careful touch

disappearing

invisible embrace

 

treasure buried

weakened sun

tangling fingers

far away path

gripping

feet mired

smiling shell

imaginary fortune

his sleek dark feathers

lead tears

to float on a wind

remnants of another season

meant to be left behind

hush

sweet, my heart

ghosts are not meant for daylight

or for the living to cling to

clever guide

pulls and twists

until eyes look forward

instead of behind

love

with no thought

to time or space

follow light

a new landscape beckons

out of time and place
remember lush flowers
tucked in laughing curls
echo shaking
through touch
through quiet forest light
birds’ hymns

bliss

sweet air floats
courting river’s current
layered rock cradles
hand taking hand
lips finding purchase
out of time and place
remember yes

pointed out brethren in dirt below
smile of sky
promise of searing pain
his love was true

all I could collect
were bits of crockery
ripped photos

should I have admitted
I’d follow beyond trail’s end
or
make great haste
with artifice and rhyme

walked another neighborhood
violet sky
phantom pain in searching hands
my love was fully realized

all I want
are moments of shared breath
huddled on one pillow