down at the river
catfish bark at the moon
beavers chatter contralto
flamingos swan and fandango
while bull frogs croak
Parisian love songs
for wrinkled Alice
standing bewildered
in the weeds
Alice once tender
her buttons undone
reveal in the rose of a rose
two lives almost complete
in a borrowed point of view
forgotten Tahitian sunflowers
floating across the river
globelike glazed glitter
pieces of broken glass
light blue and the same red
with purple makes change
in between cycled moons
widow Alice in wise veil
her wild eyes weeping fire
her wrinkles easily bruised
calls out to exhausted white lilies
circulating in summer and winter
against the river’s intent
more slender than ever been
wondering so winningly
her seasons sundowning
much to the muskrats’ chagrin
Alice in the weeds
her worn lace of different sizes
waves in the night breeze
turned cold
tomorrow’s sun
forgotten
© chuck a stetson 2012
