Oh protector of softer flesh,
Self-grown armor
Roughness in contrast to silk elsewhere
You remind me of time,
Repetition and work
The work of hands, eyes and heart together.
Coils of buttery linoleum
Battleship gray
And knotty wood
I make
This world of my own
On paper and fabric
You are subjected to forces
Of my, not your, choosing
And are wrought in the
friction of my hair-on-fire
Or even the leaden striking
of my brain against graphite and paper
Hoping for a spark
Just a spark.
All afternoon the birds dreamed they were a kaleidoscope of colors
The blue jay was a crow, iridescent in the right light
With an earthy
Caw caw caw.
He lived in October,
Among pumpkin orange, mauve and saturated yellow
All the absence of chlorophyll.
The robin was a starling
Glittering in the sun.
He lived in June
With a nest of crying babies.
The peacock was a raven,
Deep deep blue next to a geyser.
He lived in October too,
But one of soft snow
And pearl grey.
Warm steam turning to cool condensation.
Shapeshifter
Wading with sieve-legs
Through the dark mire
Skin shrugging off
Star Stickers and steak knives alike
Nihilism but lighter
A mind of single unfocus
Hazy eyesight filtering
Restless scenery
Unbiased hands weighing
Viewpoints crystalline and static
Infusing internal illumination
In each glass bead
Dip toes in different waters
Dry off, repeat in various temperatures
All come from the same source.
