vertical flame

atmosphere

last night's crown
of wet fleece

tickles my nose
and melts

over your soul of coals

my cheek stings
with a kiss of snow

my back
remembers your curve

my arms become
your atmosphere

icicles

some skies

some skies
open like a mouth

some stars
lean down and smile

some clouds
close in on the moon

some nights are flat black

some souls
scratch my heart

like train whistles
in the dark

fuschia orchid spray

cliff dwelling

before I left home
we pranced like monkeys under the mangoes
then dropped like coconuts at night
to rest in the sand

below my cliff
blackbirds travel west into the wind
last years berries still hang from dead fingers
red buds stretch and shed their skins

my fire curls to sleep
against the white sky, the dry sun rings like a bell
white birds vault seamlessly
sinews, blood and bone, in a coat of snow

before I left home
Adam with his tan hand dismissed
the pit from the peach, the questions from my soul
the heart out of the albatross

spotty orchid

to kiss the snake

Who am I to question
the mesmerizing coldness
of your gaze

God made pearls
and scales
soft tendrils and tails

and your perfect tongue
smooth as a kitten’s
the forehead like an eagle’s brow

the eyes
diverging outward like dark opals
nostrils deep as a lily’s throat

I, like you,
could uncoil myself along a branch
in the hot shade

motionless
lulled to sleep
in the green silence

God told me
to kiss the snake
who am I to question?

maroon orchid

Happy Anniversary to Me (one year blogging)