I think
I think in buds
that root
and sometimes
blossom with you

but don’t get cute about it

The significance of consonants in my soles
As they crush gravel and dirt eludes me
My tongue is busy shaping words against
The soft palate, perfecting them for later
When we meet and I am caught off guard
By the storm of vowels and silent letters
We communicate with, as though just
Tuning into speech after a long period of static
Words are the low-hanging fruit, so
We grab at them despite the hard shell
Knowing we can never get to the soft flesh
Of ideas as they are before we tear them
With our teeth

Neatly the night
Has folded her robe
And walks in naked
Startling the paint
And the wood
In the window that creaks
Looking surprised to see me
She blushes
A crimson hue
Or appears to
A ruby-cheeked slumber
That lightly falls
On the skin of the room
Turning the pallor of walls
To the colour
Of a low-key melody
Spun round and round
On the surface
Of a record
Shiny black home
To the saxophone
The wild guitar
The sweetest
Up-tempo piano
My soul ever did hear
Spiralling upwards
Serpentine
Serpentine
The night is the smoke
That I dance with
The scale
The four-by-four
Slowly pouring time
Into a china bowl
Seducing the furniture
And the moon
That silver balloon
Frozen mid-air
Gently leaning
From its high balcony
Watching the scene

You walk into a secret garden in the middle of a hidden alcove
The hawks are flying high and the silent sky whispers stay a while
On the fence are morning glories climbing up towards the sun
there is a bench that awaits you, strewn atop the wood, a rose  
It has been sent to you by your guardian angel with a message,  
" you are loved, beyond all measure",
So many flowers growing, blooming , reaching , scenting this place
peppered carnations of strong, orange marigolds of fired beauty,
California poppies, dainty flowers with lacy faces
day lilies, cornflower blue beauties, all here to bless you
Come rejoice and heal in this garden of hope and dreams
Allow yourself the pleasure of smiling, become whole again
Beneath the tutelage of  faith you can be part of this scene ,  
so bloom,  of your own accord .

July 31, 2020

Healing leaves are now disrobed branches
on the edge of this wilderness.
Many tall Douglas Fir stand sentinel
over 100 foot tall amazing grace — the fleeting leaves
expose the beauty of the moss clad scaffolds
adorned with a lime-grey lichen lace
Nature is my refuge — solid ground to stand
in this harmony and peacefulness.


Jesse Stillwater — December 2018