blather
the_tether
sfg#2 it is not
the cacophonic whir of cicadas
the soundless smudge of humming birds' wings
or the delicious lilt of jasmine on certain streets I walk

it is not
the child's sticky hand and proffered kiss
the veracity of each wave's promise to return to land
or the sculpted innocence of mountains glimpsed from a plane window

all of which prove the universe is good.

none of these things is
a reason to stay
here.

but you deliver stories of a life over the phone:
old men's picnics
a parish scandal
two weedy young scamps
the proper way to drink a whiskey

all told with an effortless love for the breath that tethers you.

I hold the truth of that in my mouth
like the bit of a foolhardy aerialist,
who dangles in sequins and satin over the net-less maw

and i bite down hard
for my un-dear life
050911
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epitome of incomprehensibility good blather_poetry 200731