Epiphany

Witnessing the blinding
tree-whitening flash from afar,
Jericho, giant of the piney woods,
standing like a huge ash
on the knobby hill, shadowed
branch of twelve gauge propped
on his hip, understands
in that he is lightning’s child,
he is also rumbling thunder
trailing mournfully behind.

**

Come Closer

So you’re just sitting there
when you notice three crows
staring through the window
at your hand.

It’s crazy, you think,
and scratch your head.
The crows’ eyes
follow your hand.
You wave,
their heads turn
and they fly away,
eyes on something
blue and high.

Before you can think
how strange!
they return with bright bits
of silk in their beaks.
Your hand moves
to your mouth
and their beaks
open, the bright silk
floating slowly down.

Near the top of the tree
a red leaf
breaks off, touches others
before catching air, spinning,
floating slowly down,
passing between the eyes
of the crows
and your hand
on the sun-whitened glass.

**

Bad Wednesday

Maybe you are dozing
when a shadow passes over
the book lying open on your lap.
You look up and see
several dark birds circling outside,
some coming close and bumping
the windowscreen, leaving
small pocks in the mesh.
Clocks and lamps, busts, books,
doors shimmer like the stirrings
of desert heat. Sweat
drips from your forehead.
Your door creaks.
On the windowsill
an ant struggles with a dead cricket,
which he leaves for you
and disappears over
the edge.