(paused)

grab the tail 

comet up! 

maple's whirligig a-light 

canopy of green delight

drenched in spring honey whisperings 

nothing belongs 

nothing is too much 

when traveling 

at the speed of emptiness

from a window on davis avenue

waiting watching i remember from such an early age 

peering out into the darkness to sorrow's tucked in far off corners 

a knowing unknowing pressing pulling of stars  

unlit 

needing more 

wrapped in flannel 

wrapped in pink guidance quested unblinking 

sureness of a valley lost to views earthly tangle 

rest becomes a tempest of strange seeking 

or 

being sought amid the shadows 

caught 

at morning's radiant beaming bright 

meadowlarks wake the wonder of each & every color 

while rows & rows of iris bloom magnificent 

under a moon 

who remembers the night ....

rise

one moment to mark the line between what was 

what is 

hands nesting 

seeking refuge from emptiness & fullness

now tangled in cottonwood 

& 

patterns of 

moonlight 

we become another--untorn unbroken 

as peonies at daybreak 

wear me like sweet blue silk and I will sing you free 

pausing for an hour here

 this place 

that stings as three blue jays fly overhead 

each movement swollen with clouds 

rain comes 

later 

after it grows quieter 

stingier 

sharp not sharp 

this place 

am i hollow or have i merely become a cloud 

dense with vapor cooling 

cooling 

are my eyes open or closed against the lack

of sun 

where are the birds now? 

here -- feathers tucked against my breastbone 

holding their quiet breath 

becoming clouds 

chapter two ~ missing

 what is this place? 

this bardo of quiet

this palest endless plain 

every direction looks the same 

every breath electric 

broken 

searching for some token 

necessity 

apology 

where does the love go now? 

in this realm of quiet ...