To Would

Wouldn’t we wonder
Wouldn’t we seek
Look up
Wait for words

Wouldn’t we ask for our lives
Wouldn’t we give them back
Stand down
Receive the Word

Wouldn’t we fight
Wouldn’t we push through
Speak up
Deliver the words

Hot Monochrome

She is streamers
She is stars
She is the red that sustains Mars
Bars don’t exist
On her heart

She is steadfast
She is dangling
She is silver-Mediterranean
Alien and best friend
Alike

She is words
She is breath
She is life seducing death
Express your intent
So to stay

She is present
She is feathers
She is coppery hot weather
Whether you like that
Or not

Webster’s Hill

Dictionary me
Plentiful of words
Heartfelt pronunciations

I’ll speak monosyllabic, if you’ll listen:
“I-loved-you”

You there on the hill
Webster’s Hill
Hardcover edition

I spoke King’s English
Plain English
All languages I knew

Prayed black-letter truths
Whisper-wished my marrow into you

What fateful stormy day
Opened you up
Revealed your empty pages

What phonetic wind
Took your hand from mountaintop
Carried you from me?