dipping a toe in the water

a first experimental scrawl on the wall, just to see if the paint will stick and what sort of fish one might catch with it. here's a poem to amuse the whirled

it's called signlanguage




body flung across petalstrewn bed
whispers from an inland sea
eyes glimmering beyond the border
doing their cloud thing across the blue
sledgehammering into mind.
soft coincidence of memory
lost somewhere west of the moon
where fragrance darkly blooms
the sails fill, the telltales flit

the sails fill, the telltales flit
remembered in the faraway
crystal salt sears tentative tongues
weaving wind whips layers
from the sleeveworn hearts.
fog rolls in, seeping between lids
omens unfurl in quiet corners
golden summers up in smoke
red dust conceals the fire in stone

red dust conceals the fire in stone
starlit night sundered by the axe
of first light through the door
while rains turns dust to blood.
the swollen belly kicks and heaves
writes signlanguage for blind hands
beetles crawl midst fallen leaves
where now are those nine?
footsteps in the wildwood

footsteps in the wildwood
white cloths filtering the breeze
the solid earth stood stone still
while trains roared past
painter, pianist, poet, purveyor of dreams
all these and more
were promised in a meeting.
hooked like a salmon from the silver seas
fixed in a fading photograph

fixed in a fading photograph
from a hole in the sun
eternity scrawled across the pavement
sand falling grain by grain
communion in the common cup
simple heaven in that lost wildflower
making sinners of us all
ghostdancers in our sodden graveyards
pulling petals one by one

pulling petals one by one
the red sun rose, eyes darkringed
some sweetness in the air
cigarsmoke about the wavering flame,
slipped velvet along the corridor
shrugged into a shirt
bought a return ticket
and decided to stay
on this contented day

on this contented day
that which was lost was found
the chickens came home to roost
and early eggs counted, hatched
the purveyor of dreams kissed me in my sleep,
remained as I awoke drifting
sang in the voices of the nine planets
forgotten words found wandering
body flung across petal strewn bed