Rest (to KCG)

Night used to be a cloak
To cover the things
He did not want the Sun to see

Then the darkness
Became a wrap
To rest his eyes
From the light of day

Now it's different

Because the beauty
Of her presence is brilliant
The eyes of his soul
Have further opened

To the Sun that shines
Behind the former sun

Now sleep comes easy
When he knows
Her beauty preceded
And will follow it

One cannot stare at Her too long
Just like the sun

Shells

Your long fingers are curled underneath the collar
Of my overcoat

And crabs are doing whatever
They must do to loosen their shells

In preparation for an exposed
Scuttle beneath the waves

I sense you are about to peel the shoulders
Of the coat back, and help me

Slip my arms out

While serpents, in darkness
Metabolize swallowed mice, loosening the translucent skin

That once glowed upon them

You undo the buckles of my armor
Your hands find my body

The world sighs, seeking release from
What once covered it

And now you reach into me
And peel off the dead skin

Of my former life.

Beloved

Behold, she has stopped my tongue.

Behold, she who comes in blazing beauty.

Behold, my beloved cometh out
And she passeth beneath the trees.

Yes, she comes, my beloved.
I call for her, and she comes.

Now the ancient lands can
Let loose their firm hold
And sink into the sea.

Now fountains and rivers can
Sing their songs of joy.

My beloved has now come to me.

Autumnal

In the first storms of autumn
Leaves are being torn from the trees
Like tears when someone wails with grief

They pour off in wild sheets, the trees
Turn and yield them - some breaking
Lying, shattered and sideways after the gale

After that there is a peace

One sees through branches to a crystal sky
But a few leaves tremble before the
First snowfall, anologous to stubborn
Memories and closeted hopes

Relucutantly falling alone, one by one

Until the winter, when the metallic sky
Surrounds every branch

A discerning eye will catch
The one or two leaves remaining
Unwilling to fall, not giving up

Like an old man's memories of Love