Saturday, August 15, 2009

Playground


When his challenge wafted, silence followed.
The ring of boys gathered. . .tightened -
Nuns stood near, habits flapping
Screeching, watching, but not closing in –
And his blond bangs hung over the right eye-
One vein in his neck pulsed
As he called me ‘little girl’.

On that day I found a way out,
Starting with a tingle behind my ears,
Then the raised pitch of my jumbled words -
(Small mice from the back of my throat)
Then came the slow fusion of steam, his and mine
Building in the space between him and me.
When he lunged, I closed my eyes. . .and
He passed through me.

Quiet, quiet, not a single word.
I opened my eyes and found I was standing, but gone . . .
On the playground, a belt,
My black pants, and white shirt remained.
No one spoke to me and none approached . .
To have disappeared in the dust of that moment -
Leaving the imprints of my feet
Just there in front of me -
Just there behind.

August 15, 2009

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Discovery

When you held the weight and the shape,
Felt warmth as you flexed your grip
then what next?

You breathed deeper - expanded your lungs blue,
Bending purples and oranges of mind and body.
Knees bent too so that you could reach further. . .

That's when you smelled the spice and citrus -
The earth touched by fingers sliding around curves -
Nostrils wide to know more through these scents -

Black shirt slipped from shoulder dropping back,
Neck extending, joining, dark, disappearing -
Teeth tremble biting on lower lip and finger tips-

Silent asking, followed by tongue,
Tasting for a way into your body - then concluding -
Eyes opening onto a moment without past or future.

August 4, 2009