peaceful parapet

warped and wounded
our threads woven
through battlevests’
loathsome comfort

we perch and await
next volley

silent rally cries
fall behind solid walls

I knew you
from your pain
before I ever knew
your face

we watch
learning our breath

feeling absence of time
cherish a rest

the floor is mine

curiosity
not enough reason
to explore
the stunning revelation
tugging at my coat

shall we discuss what waits for me
I know what I want it to be

sipping my tea
almost participating
in another day
only to rebel violently inside
every hour on the hour
to keep balance

passion overtakes the script
two dimensions are not enough

I am sitting beside myself
wondering
when I’ll wake up
and dance
what I’ve imagined

the floor is mine

what now, I’m captured
there’s more
I want
to see

will you keep me

in the window
shining like a holiday bauble

or may I leave

ah, to compare the river to ballet
sinuous tracing of years
sounds of laughter
amongst the reeds

wise smiles hidden in ripples

let go
that I may float

no tethers to a small world below

did I really see
the rock swallow the twig whole
or was it sleight of hand
from the swift river
playing with light

I would have thought
the mustachioed laughter
from behind the tree
told the spinner’s tale
but for the arcing fish over the falls

emulsified toes
blending with mud and moss
still carry me
to another grotto
for tea and bestial deliberation