Oh, my wild bird with the scarlet plume

my pirate strutting across the lawn                       

my grasshopper spitting on my palm

my paprika-scented lily floating in the pond,      

my bruised tune

my scowling moon                      

my da Vinci smile darkening on cue,

my carpenter pounding at a random hour

my spider’s bite

my parrot's eye

my labyrinth of love’s wings

my clinging monkey    

in the jungle where mosquitoes sing—

let me hold your hand

one minute more,

let me pull you close in my long arms.

For you I will learn to bake bread full of fruit,

for you I will knit sweaters

that cannot keep you warm.