New poem !

Traces II

7

cello shade brushed

through the soft grey fingers of dawn

woke to the roll of pebbles

out there

chest against chest you two struggling

to wring life from matter like

water from a soaked napkin

wrapped again

within sea-soiled dreams

missing your smell

8

drove to town in the glow of sunset

parked nowhere or so

copper liquid splashed on

whatever lay around

filled

lingered

glass-scaled blocks of life burnt

whatever awareness remained

inside

9

reedy industry-scored steppe

scrawled hastily

sprawled to extinction

still

litter

I had left a pebble within the folds of my pocket

clasped it the sun singed brassed dank forehead

blank bleached wild

erness

love

sped to you

across aeons of wasted space

10

the bow beamed

luminous pathways into your smile

the waves' bottle-glassed frown grew

lesser

shreds of sound

ravelled anew clothed you in

fabulous rags

meshed

I tripped a willing captive

flung across the marine depths of your bonds

11

like a handful of fine sifted sand

cast on a drum

smooth glowing graze

while

slightly tarnished gold

trumpet chords along the pier

no haste

brown rough-stoned office blocks

bass over the waterside

heat

setting

shall be driving home soon

12

drop me a line

isn't it high time we

weighed anchor

the tide is out

come on or else

I will sail for a mermaid dream

alone

droplets of watered blue paint scraped

on a wide faded cream canvas

the splayed pathetic presence

of the things we never did