Like a bird,
a story I tell about a
carver
From the perch of my middle class
I watch you slide by me
as if you had business with Zen
daily construction contracts with the Japanese
knew all about precise needles to acupunctures
good spelling of soul tai chi feng chui
massaging words
of age and wisdom
you fly by me like a tarot card
tossed in fast in a bet in Vegas
like an arroyo in Madrid of New Mexico
in quicksand
yet stripped off clothing,
material wealth and maybe home
upon return I watch you
grounded by the Merchant Marine
the daughters of the American revolution
the Labor Party
and the Navy
grounded by the endless
idyllic love of your father
for your mother
grounded by conviction
As if you had business with the soul
knew of the intricate weavings
embroideries of this imaginary
as if you knew why and how and when.
I watch you fly
carver
like a friend to something
like a loss
I watch you carve
as I etch words out of
I watch you fly
like me
a bird in migration