Your hair, the wing of a grandfather bird,
Shingles on a roof,
Being peeled by time and storm.
You grow pussy willow eyebrows,
Duck feet;
You walk to and from the riverbank
With winter jacket in the springtime.
You keep telling me
To be wiser, get stronger,
Rock the boat.
Through needle eyelashes you peer,
Searching skies for the geese you say
Are late. You cook dinner.
You snip peas and pop a clove of garlic
Like a pill.
On the porch
You are always dreaming of far off lands,
Distant cities,
Hillsides you know you have placed foot upon
In your heart.
I ask you about the night.
No darkness, you assure me.
No darkness, the night is the moon,
Stars, fireflies, chill and yonder.
No darkness.