i
A still, white curtain balanced in
the perfect blue delights, confounds
the senses, promises a timeless time
when narrow yellow wafers
spin the air around
and diamonds slide down to the pavement,
spatter across the rippling pavement.

ii
The wind’s wisdom teaches me
to take a moment’s rest beneath
an angled awning. Overhead a span
of green and red and blue
banners the northern sky:
a blessing and a memory of blessing.
Soon a second arc,
fainter than the one beneath -
together these hold up the sky,
hold children’s wonder till
they fade to shades of grass and rust.

iii
The bridge trembles under black wheels
and the sliding river flashes gold.
Wreathed in cold white sheets
the pale, piercing sun
illuminates a slide of color
rising in the east
riding the grey leviathan cloud.