I told her I’m sure there’s bells
you can’t help but hear them –
There! You see?
Twin peals in echelon
waves above up in pockets
then swoops below near the prey
This close to the ground we risk
broken wings, we need to find lift anywhere
If I just let go I get aloft
I have long known how to walk on ceilings
I have sat on chandeliers
and walked through upside-down window sashes
I step from this ladder through your second-floor window
to entreat your love, float gracefully down to the ground unhurt
unscathed in defiance of gravity, grateful
graceful as a balustrade slide in white tie and tails
I win and heads lose, we embrace only these end times
not before, that was then while this merely is
I revel now and still
counting the bells –
you can’t help but hear them
Chagall 2015
Alphabet City 