river's breathing

The movement of wind or tide is time shifting light

away from arid truth beyond; not barren, not wasteland yet,

just peopled by abacus and time machines diamond rough or dust.


I don’t much care if they do announce tic life on Venus

as all tenderness has collected here in sparkle ripples

so bright, eyes would sting if put to words or music.


Every boat is blue mammal today; we are not at sea

nor dolphins at play, these are not our shoreline salt lines,

tear stinglings missing out on so much beauty in the blur.


We are riding the slow gold crest swirl of each sweet ripple.

Soft water surfers. Blue prows gliding through

the slip easy, the frowns of barnacles beneath


breezing the rip too. This topside’s long breath

of back and forth shifting light is meditation

on wings turned wet feathered lung – shorter lines, 


calling for the span of airing cormorant 

in a strong September sun.