Because

Because gods are hidden

so well

They don't know themselves 

Because poets are transparent and

everything passes through them

Leaving an essence 

making them 

Kaleidoscopic beings

Because even a garbage truck

with a flashing yellow arrow 

makes music.

Because the Trinidadian Love God

brought fresh warm bagels

Cream cheese and chives

to the office this morning

Because Marsden's music

has set my soul smiling

All over again

Because I saw the sun rise

behind scarlet clouds

and then saw the stars

and the moon's faint circle 

with silvered edge

Because after all you've been through

You are still laughing

Because I love to hear you laugh

Red Dove

I saw a red Dove
that nests in a spruce
that spreads low boughs
over my garden.
And you would say
(as I did)
that it's a Cardinal
with visor shade eyes.
But a Cardinal calls in
a song unmistakable,
long hard notes that
sonic for miles.
When the bird I saw
leaves his shady recline,
he squeaks like a
child squeeze toy
with each beat
of his wings.

But I'm not surprised.
My yard holds magic.
You enter a trance
when you pass by the house
and enter the green
of thirty foot cedars
at the back that dance.
It takes a moment to accept
that the birch has eyes
that open and close
and watch you enter,
then follow you closely
until you leave.

I saw the red Dove
descend in an arc,
a graceful loop like
it had swung off a swing.
And it waddled head bobbing
toward a small boy,
the eternal boy
who always knows why.

I and You and We

If you want to know who I am.
If you really want to know,
how the self is betrayed by crafted appearance;
how the actions are only a ruse.
It is I who observe the passionate play
of the you and the I and the we.
And I am as passive as you could imagine.
You add the context and plot.
You play the roles and you ride the waves
of emotions of fear or elation;
of glands of rejoicing and glands of grief
and I am just he who watches.

Let us sit by the bar of hard drinks.
Until the time comes to go home.
But even then I'll stay for a while
and watch and watch and watch,
until I forget why I was here.
Until I am in the marrow of bones.
Until I am in the thick of the blood.
Until I remember it's time to wake up,
it's time to wake up and go home.