settled dust

stare into that crystal ball
and see
the new belgium sunrise
feel the heat
and
mire yourself in the cold
of it

steep in the misery there, cold
dank
and alive
in a way that dispels belief in any possibility
of good
and right
not anything
else
but trite
frivolity
you drop it like a bag of
hate

smash it against the curb and
kick it
in the chest
as you step away,
exhale
and brood into
whatever comes next
on this expository plane
of self-reflection

a pool of silvery swoon
i wonder if this inside glittery jump and dance
might ever be anymore than a dream

i'll inhale the thick smoke of you and feel your elixir
i'll wish it to sweep it
all away
under the proverbial rug

oh emmylou, lucinda, baton rouge; how
can the lyrics
of any
of your love songs
ever stretch far enough
across the expanse of the globe
to transcend the bitter
irony
of life's many truths
i
love
and i
love
and
i love.
restlessly, i am only here.
visibly aglow
amidst the indigo outline
of night's sky

the regions between
ribcage
and
sinew.

i reach
and touch
and the handholding
lets loose

forget the beauty
the light behind the eyes
the smile, enriched somehow by a silent backscreen
reflective
heart
starry
glitter
energy
or
limelight

life
myriad in its wake
of ebb & flow

breaks upon the shore
in so many undulating waves
how can we ever harness
harpoon
lasso

a thing at all
?