chagall backdrop

I perch on a branch
rather than hoods
where rain water beads on the high
gloss of hand-buffed wax

unlike the low luster of eyes
strung about the necks of remorseless

and trill
nay, lilt

springs aid suspension of disbelief
prevalent these days

any tight burrow will do in a pinch

aligned contrary to twilight
abstaining from pleasures because
I choose to indulge
in heartbreak, because I can

with little time to weigh
eons on either side
not certain of come and go, gone and went
truth or status quo

yet
my money’s on the money, the surest thing
since sentience, the sweetest element
is not uranium; to the ghosts of Princeton: natty wool on the catwalk
hooping hulas ’round the nuclei, I eye the errant
confuse disdain for ardor

I approximate the distance between two hearts to be
greater than the sum of the moment

mailboxes crammed with dead letters postmarked
insufficient, due only what’s coming
raise stained white flags in tie-dye surrender
patchouli and hemp
rise early and often till the last
but spontaneous now, how herculean then
to breathe

then so vague;
not long now,
just a few more notes
till the coda

© Chagall 2014