riverbeds

for a time i

am a lost gem

buried in plush

fabric

witnessing a

constant star

press deeply into the

fullness

of raven night

still as a stone

with fire

in my

crystal

belly

still as

a would be sigh

of night

becoming

pulling cards

now that i

know that it rains on

jupiter i

can’t stop thinking

about what creature could

dance in

her wounded eye

collect the tears that are shed

there swallow them

down to covet

later

if it rains

diamonds

above and

births

clouds below

can the creature

be

me

from the honeysuckle vine

once the last

shimmer of

gold

sinks

below the dark blue satin

night they begin to

wake up shiver and

shake their bodies

off and

signal to one

another that

it’s time

your eyes begin to adjust to

seeing flashes of

miniature lamplights

and

you will want to

walk deeper into darkness

now

where the trees

whisper to the

birds who warble

to the moon

who sings to the

stars oh yes

under the great texas

sky the fireflies

call out to their star

ancestors by

lighting up at once

hanging in the air around

your face in a dense illuminated

fog and

your own heart

aches to join

this place where

dark is never

afraid of

light

lunar landing

you used to carry

around the same

book

something deep

but nothing

too showy

thick leather with

fancy gold

edging

probably smelled

like bibliophile

porn

and

every day with that

book

impossibly

pristine

book

beautiful black

sleek faced book

you loped back

and forth across

the cigarette butts

discarded fast food

wrappers

used condoms

flyers for

a band no one

cares about

long strides

always the book

head ducked

face obscured by

magic

the book

i’ve decided

was either hollow

or

a

mirror

quills and other soft things

through the trees

the sun is coy

fire diamonds

glittering in

the green of it all

the faster i run

the more my

body remembers

the feeling of

running until

the blur

of me and

the trees all roar

impermanence

unremember

pain and fear

run until

i forget your

very

name

retrace

beneath the creaking

boughs i searched for

a single reason

watched the wind

make whispering

secret tellers of dark

leaves larger than

my heart

(any reason at all)

i watched the sun

nose up against

the pale green

curls of future

champagne grapes

felt the glossy heads of

orchids

i sat quietly in

the delta breeze

laid the cards out in

a pretty fan

shook my mantle off

in the world that is unsummer

in the field that said

stay out

along the path of the dead

arms akimbo

waiting for a

god damn

sign

bob dylan again

a raven flew across

my window

this morning

and someday

i want to tell you

the story about

how complete

strangers

almost named

me

raven

and how even at first

breath i knew

better than

to cry

aloud

greenbelt

do not call out

let your wings dip low

under the hem of the clouds

let their great swollen

bruised

bodies press against you

ask each one questions

you have always wondered and

before their next loud

lament

wrap your fingers around their

cold morphing faces

take your best

breath

and drink their tears

until you remember you

can cry

too

least goodbyes ever

you do not choose

warrior

rather warrior is

gold dust

pressed into your

eyelids every sleep it

flows through your

hands when you

sing

dance

dream

write

warrior tells you

to hold your heart

in one hand

your sword

in the other

and don’t you dare

flinch

warrior turns your face

to the sun

opens your palms to

the moon

knots and unknots

your guts

until you can

see clearly

until you say

clearly

no

never owls

down the alley

before the sun

sweeps across the streets

down the alley and into

the dark where

only the gleam of

teeth and

eyes tell you

of another

wild flower

who prefers

moonlight

down the alley

found your name

written crookedly

across the

bricks

down the alley

remembered how the

chill of

dawn covers

a body like

cold satin

down the alley

where everything smells

honest

down the alley

found your name

again because

i wrote it