wrapped

i walk pillowy
through a whisper world
knees bending up down
with a child's tread
upon muffled crunching
underneath a muffled smile
icy nose and eyelashes

love is the color white today
wrapped in frosty ribbons

i breathe in security &
exhale giggling memories

i am deliciously lost
in my coat
bound limbs &
big boots plodding
to nowhere in particular.

Bread

She flutters into my room
on tiptoes wrapped in night
blankets. She wakes me
and giggles an invitation
for a cuddle. Through sleep sand,
I decline but open my arms
for a good night hug. She lingers,
and I breathe the scent of bread rising:

=====her body, pillowy and moist
=====is like dough that sheathes
=====a young lady's flourishing
=====fire... she is ready to be
=====kneaded and summons
=====a lover's touch to invoke
=====her to rise...

Warm aroma quivers in the air
after she has floated away, and I
sway heavy like a pendulum
with my stomach rumbling and nostrils trembling, and I fall
into rising dreams of toasty
ovens and melting butter.

prayers on the commode

as my body is cleansed
i think pious thoughts
of all those who love me
and all whom i love.

my hands speak in hushed rhythms
the names of the cherished
of all those who live
and all those who've perished.

i think of the future
and even of God
in guilty repose
upon the commode.

relaxed and refreshed
i ponder beginnings
and me in a cycle
that is without ending.