Sunday, May 1, 2011

Evolution

I am an animal. Deep down in the drum
of my heart I claw through forest mulch and

flesh. Rhythm dragging hooves counter-
beat the earth’s time. Knotted leather drags the

Celtic warrior kicking into me. Her
spear scrapes my shoulder. I bleed.

I snarl. Her spear is mine and there are
hoofbeats, drums shoving blood reverberating

in my veins. And now there is instinct.
I must kill. I must tear my way

to the surface of a dry plain rolling
an ocean of thick wheat, chaos,

truth-sweat. A scream splits my throat and across
time, separated by centuries, a thin fold of halfway air,

Boudicca, snarling red-haired wolf sinks teeth
into my heart, yellow fangs into the world

around me. Drag me screaming. I am an
animal. This world is mine.

Purple

You were always blue. Inevitably elements are discovered, by chance or by science, and it makes your fingertips tingle. At some point everyone blends into their backgrounds. Your background is blue. I trembled to see you. My anxious scarlet quivered, sensing something azure, tender and steadfast. Heartstrings struck a new chord. For so long we were water and oil. For so long we slipped past each other like a deep, gasping thermocline. Inevitably we made purple. At some point I blended into you.