One Beat

Out from under the wing of desire,

bushwhacking thru the demons of my soul,

I watch the dust unfurl rainbows from my soles.

I hear the beat of wings above my head.

The blessing of a thousand feathers fill my spirit.

I am one beat of a hummingbird's heart

Dry tears fill the arroyos of my dreams,

a wedding march down dusty church aisles,

heart shaped rocks guide a path towards the blue sky

and the sticks share their gnarled smiles,

twisting around my superhero illusions

like the wand of a magician in the eye of a shawoman.

Winter makes a temporary home of me.

Hearth embers and the memory of christmas trees

haunt the premonitions of my future.

How is this possible?

Pitter patter, pitter pat. Pitter patter, pitter pat.

I am one beat of a hummingbird's heart.

Ears burn in the heat of our words,

boiling and reducing what was one into another.

A labyrinth where was a field, a blade where was a bed.

Maiden, crone, sister, wife, teacher, lover, mother...

veils fall one after another.. after another, I see stars

shivering in the madness of our naked winter skin.

I leapt from your fast train.

I ran to the trees for cover, looking to hear the leaves applaud me

when all I am is one beat of a hummingbird's heart.

2010