Savannah Smith

It occurs to me that all this is going to fall away, like autumn leaves gently exhaling this belly full of sun, we too are lightening our foliage. The open, empty darkness of Winter warmly waves a happy smile at our arms full of harvest, acorn squash lining the stairs, more melon squash and beans that yellowed under a blazing heat. The napping garden gets up off the earth and shakes off loose dirt. We waltz along to songbirds and slowing season silences, traipsing along the uneven hill towards gates and doors to that place where we all sit together. The roof of the steep A-frame and the canopy of acacias like a gentle cloud, parting earth from the beyond, holding our cozy cameraderie at her zenith, the lark at last ascending.

When I redeem my memories and woes with gentle knowing, capable holding, the time reliably humbles me, like a cold creek of racing ice water shocking and licking up my feigns of stiffness. Refreshingly, she lays me down, on green moss algae rock, I rest my naked body on the creekbed baby boulders, bow my inner head to her great power, and rest in the sweet resounds of Truth: I am all but baby to her beauty.

My little person is the last to shiver and quake ‘neath the full moon crested over these pine warriors, my body last to bed as I behold the violet moon.

When I am all alone, I thank myself that this has come to pass, and with the bittersweet surrender to the Great River of Life, my little creature scurries home by silver moonlight, crunching past pinecones, relieved to be so meek again. 

This time of great confetti leaves littering the forest floor from a night of wild wind whirling on the dancefloor, whipping sensational gusts of their coming through the hair of limbs and branches. The valley crest is merciful, a mediate day betwixt the warmth and the winter-come. My final acts of flirtation (as if we could ever deliniate her presence) embrace the Greater Poet. Sighing upon slippery rock, grazing my leg on his with gravel shifting between us, my belly slithers onto the mineral rich, humble throne of a creekside hotspring. Sulfur rising in the mist of the midnight steam, he is gorgeous and he might have heard me say, I cannot help but behold beauty, and realize in surprise that none of us who see it ever stand a chance to resist the impulse of the eye, that takes to mystery and majesty’s lips meeting. 

Like adam and eve at ease in their eden, we sit close so to whisper of what sights our eyes seer. The rhasp of this strained voice can yearn no more. I must submit to whisper what my secret visions are. As like young kids, we know the role and let it play without the shy manuevers of embarassed older minds. 

In direct indirectness, he lets me know, and I, attuned, agree. He sees more that I cannot say, not quite tonight, and smartly, self-preserved, he turns in after farsi and dear farces of our other selves, important and improvised, much like the grand eloquations of our metered rap and rhyme. 

Socrates and pharmakon, antidote or remedy; centuries misunderstood, the mind that melded milleniums of that Language we struck like Medusa, turning gallance into stone. 

I let myself enjoy my gifts. 

They only come down ever so, and when the Heavens share, of every yoke I delect, and little else can sour. At least to say, when I allow, I ample take my space. 

Tis not too oft that nakedness and elegance and entry into loam give bucketloads of wine to such a dry nun as my dress. 

Relent, as wise, and intertain, the voice that he can stir again.

The bellows I let loose on water, river take the pain of daughters dropping responsibility and spilling others cup.

Exchange of feathers, puffed and proud,

Exchange another, three’s a crowd

Burst wide open on uphill

Spilt the secrets of his kill

Sweet relief of that return

The love so pure and sweet it burns

Burns my eyes and inner flesh

Burns my heart, the cards were dealt

such that I won my hand three times

right on the dot 

Ive not forgot

the way I found the better me

I wish I never stopped to squinch my nose and fret about fray fillies

The greatest gift to grace the later half, and here we are,

Perfectly mortal

Vibratory tuning forks, perfectly pitched and forged far apart

I eat your Gifts with somber dignity and bless, the key again turns in my chest

From mottled golden bronze to sleek

Silver tears stream on my cheek

I pet my heated heart and face

to think of all the thousand ways

I ever get to be set free

by friends who are greater than me

I give  my mouth and humble cries

My alibi, “I slipped away,”

into that sacred precious now

where you are God and I avow

a feather fealty oath to youth

and drunken-sober bitter proofs

That all consent is given grace

and all my desparate wanton chase

could never force the friend to drink

the potion of blood-sisters brink

Edge of childhood

Map unstarred

Scabs that turn to perfect scars

Let the simple flesh take tooth

The fruit, the cat, that bat in soothe

ransom 

dance ’em 

Let it fly

I’ll kiss your mem’ry cross the sky

and with Good Autumn’s sweet farewell

I break the Virgo Goddess spell

The wish of lessèd pain in love

the Greatest Dream I ever smudged

Golden billows

Gentle gaze

Raindance of tomrrow’s stage

Give me back my stolen kiss

Virginity my prized beheaded witch

and I will slumber

I’ll be gay

Naked in my comfort lay

Holy Grace

mother smiling at her daughter’s crayons and finger paints

For all I am is a crude gobbling of feasts of Him

My handsome B’loved in the Wind

Holy Lips

Gentle Crown

Kissing Persephone descending down

To Hades pomegranite revelations

How could I think to forfeit station

I wait here in dark through day

The Spring can wait while Im away

I like it here, my King and Queen

Demeter’s Grief

the Daughter’s Dream

The everflowing endless stream

So I walk out

Back up beyond the trees charred by a flame of long

Let me twinkle in that eye

The sweet release a death of mine

I only eat what all I need

a morsel ‘nuf to sate’ my teeth

I hold it

  hear

Pearl 

Open

Vine

Lay me under sulfur wine

Spotting starships perfect line

disappear

and trim the vine

Icy cold

alone 

at last

I shiver and go tend the mast

The wind’s picked up

The Pegasi

so bright my compass in the Sky

So kill it quick, if must then do

I only meant to share with you: the humble gorge of timeless hour where I am likened to that shower of the stars we wish upon, you give me both and then they’re gone,

like apples tossed, confused, dismayed,        I give my crutch back to the day

The piano harp and cello know

How violin and Her voice go

So let the somber blanket rest  upon Earth Aphrodite’s breast      I give on breath of solemn vow

To love from Under anyhow. Im not alone, I row with eyes of Zion besides, though Anne Sophia Wise of Grace speaks loud not me, within my face is ever-present smile of hers, appled cheeks and gentle words…. I fear when I see the men in my face who so long saw but spiked embrace. I give back unto them my vow: to try love our mem’ry anyhow. 

Goodbye sweet days of lazy youth

Of hurting friends

decayèd tooth

smoking things like restless pride

Hiding out in plainest sight

Think of me

The Best, I mean

Of kiss’t mason jars, crystal rings

gifts of time and secrets bared

Of all your perfect, messy hair

I will, I pray, do best to stop

Pretending love is ever lost

It supple hurts when it is changed

but like the rain it turns again

to snow 

to lakes

the tea turned cold

or to the tears when we are old

I love you all

Love brother most

(but that’s a love I get to boast)

so give me simple teenage gaze and look me up and turn the page

and pray for me, as I did you, that we remember that Whole truth:

We loved in youth when love was lean, abundant seldom, sometimes mean

I tried, you too, we did our best, so let the Autumn give us rest

I will do better our next go

but please forgive her coming slow

I love to fetter on and on, like a childhood repeating song, so let me end while I’m ahead: of you I am most always near.

Just breathe and smile and try remember, why I cry so in November, and I do promise I won’t sing of all our sins or bitter reems; I’ll love you with an agèd wize, I’ll love you sacrè bleu of skies, I love us like that Pirouette I earned, I love with open tender bet: that our love sings and vibrates on, such as a marathon. I love you and I loved our love, goodbye long summer mirage of sun. Hello hearth and hello rain, good to see you friends again. See you in the spring of tides, and dream well in the womb of life; hibernate and let her hold your bones, return to me upon your throne. All hail the holy winter time, all hail the pruning of the vine, godspeed (whatever that phrase means), let’s dream a smarter, fiercer peace. Piece of art, you and this light, piece of my heart’s paradise. Go in trust, and go with God, yellow blue and violet onyx.

Sleep, slumber, slow and still: kiss me in the river thrill.

Slept, woke, foraged for my fill, and that Perfect evades us still, and thank the heavens it is so, so on and on the party goes, 

thanks heavens She eludes just so,

so on parades the earthen host;

thank god I’ll probly never know

So I can kiss and never know

so we can miss and carry on

and One day rest in that Beyond.

Keep calm and kiss along.