Why,
How long,
It’s always in the nature,
Stillness,
While the shifting scent
Tells comfort, tells
Arriving
All the night,
The numbers congregating,
Broken stone in semi-circles,
And below – the beaten stage,
Pale and cool and empty
As I wait,
An eye upon the canopy,
Thinking of our twisted means
They fly and sing,
The audience is stirred and
Briefly too, the dark
Crowding in upon us
Both, upon us all
Steps we took
On the forested slopes,
How we sliced beneath the waves,
Reconnaissance, manoeuvres –
I’ve lost track,
Leaning as I am
Against the smooth bark of a tree
Bristling with patience, time
From the ruins,
From the stealth of players
Strong in vanishing,
Only in passing heard –
I gather gifts
The course is set,
I move again,
I carry all I need
On my lips