Were I to Scoop Out a Star...

Were I to scoop out a star
from an isolated sky
and place it in your hands...
Were I to feed you its brilliance
spoonful by spoonful...


Were I to feed you Polaris
or the gem in Orion's Belt...
Were I to feed you the Lion's tail
or the entire milky way...


Were I to wait
until the glowing bits
went down inside your slender neck
and gathered in your stomach...
Were I to wait
until your body absorbed all the sparkling pieces
and your heart pumped the light through your veins...
Were I to wait
'till your eyelashes sparkled
and every strand of your hair shone
you would not be more beautiful than you are in this moment:


In the blanket of sunlight that embraces you
with your hair down
with your eyes lit by laughter
with your laugh lines tickling your temples
and your smile breaking my heart


(You shatter me so gently
See the pieces sparkle)

When Your Eyes Are Green

In the dim light

Or the rain

Or when you’re looking away from me

And I gaze aslant into your eyes

They appear to be green...

Not the bright green of sun kissed grass

Or the dark green of alpine forests

But the green at the surface of deep waters

I want to lose myself in those waters

I want to dive into those eyes and never come up for air

I want to explore the deeps that the surface hints at

I want to find all there is of you, there, in your eyes

Find it

And embrace it as my own

But who can own the sea?

What man can claim the waters he treads as his?

No,

The more he watches the sea

The more he pursues her

The more he dives in

The more he finds

That it is the sea that owns him...

The sea embraces him

The sea holds him up

The sea threatens to drown him

And the storms of the sea can always cast him on some deserted shore

Never to find home again...

No,

Man does not own the sea

Though he may claim her

Though he may sail across the surface

And gaze at the shores

Though he may hunt the deeps

And find the hidden places

Though he may declare his love for her

He may never own her.

For the sea is free

And fair

And unfathomable.

So it is better not to quest for ownership

It is better to make no claim

Or conquest

But to remain in awe

And wonder

Swimming

And hoping that the inexplicable may be:

That when that dive is taken

That dangerous dive down deep

You find yourself in the fathoms

Not needing to breathe

Beneath a Fearless Sun

Beneath a fearless sun

I wander

With only a name and a face

And no story to put to them

I remember the stars

Their light once guided me home

But now

Beneath a fearless sun

I wander

I could stare for hours

Into endless blue

And never see another star

I remember the stars

Their light once guided me home

Their light

And the light of that smile

The one that lit towns from here

To that land of heavy winters

Facing that smile

I could stare for hours

And never see another star

But from here

To that land of heavy winters

I wander

In search of the story

To put to this name (and face)

Remembering the stars

And hoping

Their light will guide me home

To a smile

That lights towns

Beneath a fearless sun

On a Diamond Fringed in Dark

Biking home from class one night

Through an empty city park

Glimpsing gave me quite a fright

On a diamond fringed in dark

Calmly sitting on the mound

In dark gloom’s obscurity

I was shocked at what I’d found

Staring fearless back at me

Two black eyes in shadows gleamed

Also twitching black tipped ears

Took me in - I thought I dreamed

Both of us forgetting fears

I stood beneath a harsh park light

While under moonless clouded sky

He sat regal, that feral sprite

So I thought to coax him nigh

And to my complete surprise

After I just clicked my tongue

He came close with watchful eyes

That small red fox so brave, so young

And when within ten feet he came

He sniffed and watched me close with care

Head atilt and tale aflame

He wondered at my prolonged stare

But then some noisy passers-by

Startled brave but wary fox

To his throne he sauntered spry

Upon his noiseless white-trimmed socks

And when I told of what I’d seen

Speaking of our short rapport

Their lack of interest was obscene

They said they’d seen it all before

Perhaps those passers were correct

Our odd meet was not the first

But is it best to just neglect

Beasts in urban lands immersed?

When the park was once more free

And I in thinking silence stood

The fox came back to question me

To see just what a strange thing would

Looking downwards at his grin

I threw this city fox a bite

He poked the crumb with his white chin

And sniffed to check if it’s alright

He wolfed his tiny morsels down

And opened wide his mouth to chew

Vigilantly he checked around

To see if I had more to strew

Once I’d lingered long enough

I left hardly making a sound

He watched me closely from the rough

Then strolled back to his noble mound

How long he stayed upon his throne

And watched over his whole domain

That I know I will not own

Perhaps I’ll see him once again

We all need silent stops at night

Inside gardens, beach or park

You never know what waits your sight

On a diamond fringed in dark




(I wrote this for my creative writing class, it's also a true story. Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/permuted)


http://jinglepoetry.blogspot.com/