She

Before I knew her name
or ever heard that voice,
so soft as shapeless flame,
my love took limb,
for love must be flesh
or else could nothing be.

And She,
possessed of a sweetness
that is both promise
to the brave,
and a message
from radiant climes
is both answer to prayer
and destiny before me.

The Butterfly

How quickly
vanity will undo a man
sitting in an outpatient ward,
his, no minor ills
yet feeling worse
for the treatment
than its need.

Aware the ticking of the clock,
exchange of amiable words -
they never wear solid colors
in oncology,
always gaier prints
and smiles set
against hopeful eyes.

Apprehensions and myths
must be unravelled,
even thoughts deciphered,
delusions dislodged;
so many stories of survivors,
and remembrances of those gone.

The butterfly
has no consciousness of fear,
and sparrows dart without tear.
To man alone,
God's ultimate created,
is the grimness of the grave known.
Yet, there remains on my lips
a boatload of gold,
while I am found, too,
in the shadow of my tears.

Yosemite

Between sheer walls
Overhanging the meadows
And a river of memories,
You confront me
And break into my heart.

I've scaled your precipices,
Following the wind
Through and beyond your pines -
That crowd accompanies me -
As you bring me to you;
My refuge of sweetness.

For a season (a lifetime)
I lived in your womb:
This place - could it have eyes? -
Has seen through me
And seen me through
Though indifferent to my fate.
Why do I love you so?

A different light strips you
Through the day,
And joys other than mine
May lie against you,
Yet my search for harmony
Is ended in you.

Dreams of Dreams

The yellow moon, large and low,
Illum's the room, and your face,
Reveals the subtle flutter
Of your closed eyes.
Of what do you dream?

Faint breathy gasps escape those lips,
Murmurs of joys and fears,
And a voice less loud soughs
A single word made a secret to unfold.
Of whom is your vision?

You with radiant beams the heavens adorn,
In endless dance you move. In more ways than one
I'm martyred to a motion not my own -
The shapes a bright container holds.
Where are you tonight?

Parallel Lives

Parallel lives
performed in a common sandbox
relating to common activities,
yet played out alone
at two, or three.
Expecting to grow beyond,
I recall so many vignettes
without soundtrack,
parallel lives
shared without connection.

Our wings catch fire
in that downward spiral
arriving here in fear
we'll never fly again.
A desperate place, here,
heaven on earth,
where all desires rise
to greet in a fearful moment.
A small step, remembering
life's path
to a moment's hesitation
and love
that asks only nothing.

Time, and Dreams

Eight years ago
I turned my head for a moment....

and it became my life.

Last night I dreamt as I was sleeping -
Marvelous error! -
of a beehive inside my heart,
where golden bees
made sweet honey
from all my failures.

Ginsu

He tried to wave me off in his own way
my friend Bryan did.
But the beauty of a product demonstration
is the demonstrator,
and the value of a product
that wouldn't work that way for me
lay in golden moments we would share
before it took the end of my thumb.
You see - I didn't care
if I were a sucker,
or not.
Love can do that to you.