Kodiak

Gentle Depth

in the land of a thousand summer sunsets we sail onyx grain rivers as petrified lightning strikes trembling mountains high above the opalescent valleys

a thin layer of white dust caresses the place between earth and sky in swaying mist and tumbling ashen waves

ghosts slide in and out of the haze drawing waves, disappearing within the stillness within the motion of a soft kiss or a gentle embrace

her hand falls upon my shoulder and we stand and watch what passes in easy time and a cool breeze

What are you thinking?

She speaks, and the words fall lightly upon my ears

and I come away from this place a little.

Time feels slow in this place.

Just watching, I say, How is your book?

Good — I fall so deep into them here.

Grace

The light in the air grows luminous in the moments before twilight Soft and clear, we step down into the water, onto the stone ledge The last, faint echo of chores comes near to an end Rolled blue-green tea leaves flush with the persistent rainfall of the WuYiShan valleys Playful steps down in the water We move gently together in the waning owl light down with the sprinkle bugs and the fireflies down before the deep red lamplight hold my hand down on the ledge, out in the wet early summer night hold my hand gently as a child does move closer to me in the soft, satin-violet night Lush and clear and sure

Return

It all started with a suggestion A simple request, and a brief intermission The feeling was mutual, the atmosphere casual The expansiveness of the sky that day, notable It was just a tease, the idea to think of bumblebees whenever meeting someone new No one thought at the time about cupcakes, let alone about starting an open air cupcake factory although there may have been a tacit connection, still and all, all intentions were essentially pure of intention And we were entirely in agreement It wasn't until that first bumblebee kiss, as coincidental as the impulse to lean over and kiss an almost total stranger We were well met, and yet a kiss is a kiss And a bumblebee kiss on a dimly lit roofscape Well, it's pregnable As fondness overcame refractory desire The kiss that bore cupcakes benighted bellicose designs

The honey bore jacinta scented flour The cracks in the concrete yielded soporific elegies The gentle, firm rotation of the belt drive mixer The whir of persistent motion and love bumbled us back to another cupcake kiss

Chromatic

The wind blows hot and fast across the asphalt Breathing hard, we wait The deep black leather seats Anticipation Stereoscopic chromatic Ebony and chrome and steam The low rumble of the engine and the smooth, orange flame I depress the pedal, and we move Fast and low, burning and sliding around the turn The belt tightens

Sunder

Look up Shift positions Reach out toward the door Grasp the lever, and pull Push the door open Step down, out of the car Move onto the sidewalk And take a step

Soft light falls down around you And you don't pause to look around You move ahead, unobstructed, thinking of the day ahead

The ground firm beneath your feet, and your footfalls steady You carry yourself forward, until one foot steps down into a soft pool of light

Look down Turn your hands over Like dry ice, soundless, fine dust glows alabaster white Moving with, around, of your dissonant state of disposition Hesitate, breathe, and descry

This glissade, tryptographic light flowing all around you, of you You begin to wonder, unconsciously to wander The near future fades into the distance

A small cafe has the right color You see from the road inside has the right emotion As you step inside, the mood of each person comes clear The space is accessible, and you settle into a seat Set down a pair of glasses, and say, 'Hello'.

Just a push, a touch Incorporeal

Astral

Light the fuse Pull the strap tight across your warm body The gentle trembling comes in a bright wave Intensifying, rumbling Pushing you up, shaking hard It's hard to breathe, and you're breathing hard The sound of the thrust pulsing, you break through The hard light of your instruments Steel, glass, dust You push through to the stars

Lustre

A brief pause before moving toward the door Leaning back against the wall Breathing hard I pull the gun, and bring it up close to my face It feels heavy, and very hard I'm very tired Stepping up onto another step Moving slowly toward the door Light leaks in through angular cracks I step out, and hit the air The last moody glow of the twilight sun sets down around me And I look out, far into the distance And I'm filled with color

Endurance

Softly, the last rays of the sun reach down Gently, stretched across bare skin Supple, metal, drawn in waves Golden, tactile

Ahead, in the distance, traffic begins to slow Red, warning lights burn through the twilight mist

An angel slowly, deliberately, descends A feather falls in the still air

Hold, softly, onto the light, and endure