chagall backdrop

It appears to be confetti
fluorescent lilac petals
falling in the black arena

amphitheater aloft
with swings
on long sterling chains

silky stocking smooth
you can dance on a star
miles-long pendulums
catapult you ’round the horn

the belt-line
of the Milky Way

moons bigger than suns
but trees bigger still
right here in my backyard

her face just inches from mine
blocks the universe
whole

her lips
larger than life
appear where my heart
used to be

displaced
she pounds
like a pacemaker
sets the tempo
of my time

passes the baton
in the oval
of the race
for my being

such a kick in the stretch
the hurrah of the throng
is ticker-tape

along the ridge
in silhouette
a traveling man
with all his belongings
wrapped in a pillowcase

sings
unquiet
unwritten
unfinished
songs

whistles
effervescent

a tune she knows
she’s heard
long ago
in a dream
it seems

star-bound
earthward
and spellbound

© Chagall, 2013