the dawn by and by

i.

the dawn by and by

the clock is ticking
time is running out of time
if today were the last day
what on earth would you do?

the human voice lives inside
the silence,
the night approaches
with moonlit shadows
and the dawning of every civilization
by and by.

a lone wolf howls.

ii

blood and ink
seep through
my poet heart....

this is how it ends,
this is how it begins....

this is how I am written

iii.

an animal hunger prowls
against the sepia moon
flesh is torn away
from the fruit--

in the Garden
I am the Eve of daylight
and the Adam of forgetfulness

the owl holds the moon captive

only these senses remain

iv.

prayer is like this,
one feather
touches
the earth
and I learn to fly

v.

I have two holes in my back
where my wings once were,
my house is littered with feathers
I dropped along the way

they are irridescent and shining
my reflection

vi.

a tone poem creates
a pond splash and rhythmic ribbons
a frog jumps
shredded green
unseen
have you heard
yellow
have you seen
silence?

vii

between the parted pages of memory
I place Beloved You
a thumbprint on my heart,
next to the picture of how it might have been
if only we loved enough
and stayed the course of water

viii

it is the sun breaking through a skin of clouds
to reveal itself,
shadowless with nothing to hide