poems for April 27, 28, 29, 30

April 27

First, butterfly
in the waking spring
plays the flowers

Seconds yesterday's butterflies
in my stomach
at the piano

Butterflies
never staying long enough
to be cared for

Not needing to know
anything beyond fingering
the air in silent music.
**
April 28

Tones

affirming stone
like the one in the furrow here
as soft as a polished egg
waiting for the wind
to sway a golden stalk
with one red-winged blackbird
closer to listen.

Listen closer,
blackbird
stalks the wind
polished soft
egg in the furrow,
stone affirming
tones.
**
April 29:
In this poem, Tolerance and Vitality are vertical,
love (third letter of Tol...erance)
finds its V in vitality, and starts again with
the "l" . The format does not cooperate to see this.


A Deadman Tells about A Boy

who built cities
of words like this:

T
o
l o v e
e i
r t
a a
n l o v e
c i
e t
y




always holding hands
each syllable in love
with the sound of it all,
the sound of the sea
lit by day by that near star,
sun.

And the deadman explains
how fear started.
no one touched
how love crumbled
darkness sieved.

The dead man says
to keep building.

**
April 30

The 'Scuse Me Bird

In the garden this year,
a new bird has arrived saying
"scuse me... scuse me"

too shy to present himself
by the row of rhyming red tulips
under the weeping Siberian pea,

too blithe
to be begging forgiveness
or interrupting,

just a simple two note phrase
loud, soft, down, up,
"Scuse me, scuse me"

his own little phrase,
that turns two syllables
into something beyond song.