like a planet with
no gravity
all of the deer have
fallen from my forests
and plummeted into
the sky
the eagles and butterflies have
flown free
oceans lift like
thunderheads and
my silent riverbeds
hold no fish
trees cling tight
among clouds of
dry leaves
cacti and sage
remain
remember last year how we
watched it rain?
remember how we
ran outside the
first night we heard
drops hit the roof
and stood on the front porch
embraced
watching silver gold rivers
pour in stripes
to the ground?
we knew it was lucky,
that the year’s first rain
deserves recognition
I kissed you
the jungle around us
opened its thirsty mouth and
swallowed deep
remember how you
were tired,
achy in the middle?
I didn’t like the
new pallor under your skin
and I bought you
electrolytes for better
hydration
it was already too late then to
stop the storm
that was coming
remember the thunder
so close
the roof peak cringed and
the cats flicked their ears?
remember the lightning?
we hugged each other
tighter feigning fear
remember how you could
warm me then, when
the dampness made me cold?
water filled your body
and finally
everything stopped
remember me petting
your hair as you
fell asleep?
the rains have come again
the thunder, the lightning
disturbing the cats
we sit together
on the dark porch
in silence
watching little rivers
form at my feet,
trying to understand
this distance
time is nothing
time is
all you have
mark its passage
keep it
let it go
can wind be a
measure of it, or
is time a measure of
how much wind
has slid through
your branches?
where are your leaves?
they have fallen and
wind has
taken them away
don’t look
wait with
eyes closed
hear how much time
fills the universe
catch it
hold it tight
all you have is
nothing
this is the poem
about 4 months
of silence
you think that is a
long time but
the poem reminds you
it is only the beginning
in it, you can hear
clocks tick
wind
an almond leaf scuttles
through the yard
it is a short poem
but the 4 months
are long
moonlight
drums on the roof
like rain
this is a poem
unable to speak
a poem that has
forgotten its language
remembers only
spaces between words
it’s a poem that is
not afraid of the dark
nor the deep
nor the far
it is brave enough
to sit right here and
not make
a sound
you might think
it is not a poem
but it is
Let the sky roar all around
in its silence of
starlight and leaves
Blue is the only comfort now
that blue which is the color of
air so deep
you cannot see to the
bottom of it
Stars have been
watching us through it
for light years
Parrot wings speaking
the language of air
are the only words
i will be your grave
this body
is the place
you will be buried
my head will be the stone where
your name is written
i will lay flowers
on my belly
for you
