“Ankle Deep”
Here I am
standing ankle deep
in 2019
cool velvet waters
converse
with my feet
ugly bloom atop
smooth stones
speak
their mossy tongues
exhale steep
bagworm breath
here you are
I stoop first
strands of fingers
ice cold years
splash
cathedral beauty
into daylight
warmth of a towel
I am here
looking
to the mothwing sky
mouth open
to receive from clouds
some source
key
supine instruction
scaly tool
I pray yes
let all fall to me
here
before knee deep and
cowering
toward silty shore.
Eau de Toilette
Αναζητείς το Υζαντίς
Luscious scent
pummeling
sultry cream essence
of orange flower
Ysatis is my mother
ylang-ylang
tuberose and bay rum
as well as clove
the perfume of power
Ysatis is my skin
kingdom floral realm
chypre evoking a time when
ladies felt untouchable
bottle Byzantine
castle blend
Ysatis is my shape
art-deco chess piece
rough hand
leading the dance
triple meter canopies to
Handel’s Sarabande
this orchestra is Ysatis
love-struck
en passant lift of the ladies’
veil sonorous
Greek scent like
a 14th Century tsipouro
Ysatis permits
“Adulthood”
is a surly man
wagging
a gnarled tongue
negotiating with ghosts –
talented destroyers
grave-diggers
unearthing anything neat
stultifying
swing set momentums
disturbed undone –
spitting pine sap
bewitched
I don’t know repentant
wriggling
in and out of kindness
like windows
while the rest of his mouth
sharpens lies.