Messages in the Dark

a black bear turned polar
night shot with light
meander of a river
belly of the moon

tight bend of a cliff road
promise of land beyond
rusting head of a pickaxe
tankard full of gold

white finger tips
lick the sea foam from my lips
soft waves over heaving hips
we are the lost ones
washed ashore on islands
of our bliss

wrinkles carved on wrinkles
stories that they tell
warmth of unfamiliar skin
tattoos on calloused hands

hanged god, summer’s end
cracked shards of a porcelain bowl
the kiss you’ll never know again
the bells that never tolled