What we learned
The Arizona Republic, 14 November 2005

Elegy

How do they begin
with no mention of who,
why, the shady brown hair
sleek as chestnuts buried
in the afternoon sun, like
a long chain, an iron rival
to the history of time, dear
as Hawkings’ Big Bang theory
& blank as dark matter, an opulent
breeze and Basho writing
I pass as all things do, because
what comes before this
ripe trek, surge & thrust
towards the dour sky, one path
lean as Georgia palms at dusk,
heads nodding off as if they too
say Yes, give in to this warm
desire with no remnants, buckles
unlocked and seats reclined, exactly
what the stewardess denies
when she should be floating down
the aisle, lucid and thinking
of nothing, only filling the empty
space after “life is…”, light
as a coy whisper without belongings,
or the need to keep them even
when the poetry stops, the plane
lands and the baggage opens
up from overhead, a grim
compartment holding odds, ends,
narrow as fish hooks used
in a freshwater stream. Your
green barrette? I will always
have it. I keep it
still.