She can pierce the sky
with a sideways glance — leaves
scatter in her eyes & with a gust
I taste a coconut lime-
freckled shoulder
painted for Autumn.
Then with a smile
she reminds the sun to hang
a medal on the morning
& I memorize the way the light
sprinkles delight
on her cheek as I kiss
her good morning.
At last she’s ready
to engrave her initials on the day
& I’ll carve a spot with her
careful to leave
plenty of space for
tomorrow and tomorrow.
My favorite sweatshirt has a thread
I tug without thinking because my hands
need something to do while my mind
dives into warmer waters. She blushes
when I tell her I like her
ponytail hair loosed around her face
as if someone creased a ribbon
to tie a gift just for me. She smiles
when I look into her eyes
& talk about tomorrow &
other presents we’ll unwrap together.
I don’t know how long this string is
but my mind follows her, my fingers find
this thread & she chases all
other thoughts out of the pool.
She is dangling in the afternoon like Autumn
on the breeze, painting the horizon in her
favorite colors. I like to think the purples are just
for me as they frame the greens on trees
she’s allowed to stay a little longer.
October finds a way of fanning its leaves
until the hills burn with Autumn & still she traces
the sky with echoes of the sun’s brushstrokes
suspended somewhere in the atmosphere
she always knows where they land.
I put the day together like a puzzle but leave
it out of the box so the clouds can play
a major chord. Soon she’ll sing the stars
into a symphony while I taste grapes
on her lips, greens and purples linger.
The tempest brought more
than rain, sprinkling magic
on marble-topped memories
that called from a dream
still shipwrecked. The sun tries
to break the spell but hope
flourishes in the light & she enjoys
showing off her tan. Though the tide
may wash visitors ashore or pull
other spirits out of a hat, she drinks
me in wearing tails.
We sing along with the wind
as it pampers our skin, seasoned
from days in the sun. The leaves
rustle in accompaniment
as if the evening knew the rhythm
already. Perhaps
it merely borrows the tune
from us,
breath tied together on the breeze.
The sea is high again
today, with a thrilling flush
of wind that circles us
like the willows that weep
around the lines we draw
in the dirt.
She wears
her wrinkles when she smiles
to remind me the world
circles heavenly bodies
in its own time.
The tide
goes low if we wait long enough
& still the stars circle her
hair dancing on the air
so we wade deeper tomorrow.
She swims in the air, afloat
but not adrift, aloft but
not aloof. She moves
with purpose, as if her lungs inflate
from helium only she knows
is there.
She swims & swims
swims among the oceans
of clouds whose undertow
pulls west where she can find
her fortune
swims but never loses
her way as I hang from a constellation
growing larger with each stroke.
the wind closed its eyesleaves, movedby my pleas, turned to faceme I blinked & there she wasanother glass of wine barkingin her hand, stemcool like bathroom tiles I can’t seeI ask for one more gustbefore she leave s © 2022 | Phillip Knight Scott Written for dVerse’s Eyeing the Quadrille #147
I’ve always had thrift store mannequin
fashion sense though I display
a bit more modesty. I’ve kept things
hidden under designs of all sorts of noises
for so long, a turtle making plans
in the dark.
She has me peaking
out of my shell, sticking my neck farther
to where the air tastes new like
simple syrup in the sun. The patterns
shine in the light, or maybe
that’s just me.
Still the mannequin
changes clothes in the window & she
keeps urging me on.
Sometimes I think about the ocean —
sour water that whispers honey
to coasts spread too thin. What mysteries
swim below the surface,
below sea level, below even the light?
We prefer to stay dry, to permit the water
into narrower gaps
magnifying the depths until we see
ourselves colored in light even
from this height. In the distance
I see clouds slide down the sky
like white petals to reveal their own
vibrant secrets in wispy voices
that splash in the ocean & submerge
without another thought.
Sometimes I wonder what the ocean thinks
about me — drawing breath
like arrows from a quiver but never falling
off this bridge as we cross into
all the sun will allow.
I found the recipe by accident —
she stirred my thoughts
through the seasons
with spicy suggestions &
whispered hopes baked in cinnamon.
She pinched my arm &
I wasn’t dreaming —
it tastes sweeter now.
I was shocked this afternoon to learn
it was still Thursday & not because
my best days are behind me
This day is forever almost — not exactly
halfway, not the weekend, it begs
for a feeling but rarely provokes warmth
Still, the sun sets like any other day
until it rests somewhere below the horizon
& night almost arrives too early
That light switch always gives
a little jolt in this dry air but there’s so much
left to see & I can risk the shock
Now it’s almost tomorrow & I almost see
her face developing in the dark, saying
my best days are ahead of me.
Balloons swallow the afternoon
air floating beyond my reach to overcome
their fear of flying. The soft balance
of curves straddle shadows with memories
of beach umbrellas shielding peach skin.
We like each other’s company so
we stack rocks like a snowman though
I’m not sure how they do it
with stick hands. I like the shape of things
we build together with our hands.
I watch her saunter through the room
because there’s nothing on tv
& anyway the flickering light
from the sun bounces off her cheeks
like a spotlight directing my attention
to curtains before static-clung scenery.
She moves in solid waves of hope,
weaving through well-worn furniture
with the confidence of a lioness tip-toeing
through stalks of grass, though she’d never
let grass stains set on the sofa.
On sun-soaked afternoons like this I return
from a long walk — the breeze
almost too cool, reminding me
February is not of one mind
though it’s more hopeful
than some. I sit & think about the spark that hangs
like a moonbeam near her ear as the tv
dissolves to static & she closes
the curtains — her prey frozen
in the dark.
She absorbs the food
in her bowl, not chewing
but vacuuming the thing
clean. And why not? She doesn’t know
clocks — doesn’t know
there will be another meal
in 12 hours, or what 12 hours is,
or what 12 is, only that the wait
feels like an elephant
sitting on her chest & just breathing
is swallowing mud in a storm.
One twelve makes a year
two twelves a day & a dozen eggs
last a week. Clocks mark the time
but never tell the story. Mine
didn’t start with you but
hands spin us together so all that turns
are pages of our book, the clockface
breathing easy as the chapters
swallow us whole.
Her voice nibbles on my ear
like a woodwind instrument
in a register she didn’t know
existed. I find myself whistling
that tune & thinking
of sour candy, the sweet face
she interrupts with her tongue
so I laugh in the same hushed key.
I woke up asleep on the couch, the pins in my hand
needling me to move
& though the night insists on darkening our days
like a blanket tossed
over the lampshade to dull the intensity, still
she shines. This night
should know that thunder waits smiling
beneath her skin
pounding through pores in sweet moments
that bounce like static
which makes the air smells sharp & the days
are never dull.
I watch her saunter through the room
because there’s nothing on tv
& anyway the flickering light
from the fire bounces off her cheeks
I see the spark that hangs
like a moonbeam near her ear as
her hair bounces with each step & still
the twilight knows not to interrupt.
The fragrance of stars can jump
through a window
with a gust of snow like a comet’s tail
I ask her to keep the curtains shut
if the neighbors are home
She says the house is haunted
when she gets to the end of a book
I open a window to let the ghosts out
but she says
they’re good houseguests & never leave
a mess
She doesn’t wear perfume & the night
smells of stardust
Tonight the universe fits inside this room
starlight sneaks in
A song I didn’t recognize came on the speaker
a melody that circled me
twirling me
with notes of cinnamon in her hair
& I noticed the sun going around with me
For too long I had spun widdershins
through life bouncing over rough waters
without rhythm
like a young sailor navigating in the dark
But I’m an old sailor now
& this new tune steers me
with measured beats
that make the way lighter
I dreamt last night I was in
a ribbon-stitched competition
& though its details are lost
to the murky meanderings
of sleep, the image of her cheering
the loudest in the crowd
stayed with me
through the morning.
I’m tempted by stubborn clocks
that tick on lemon-kissed walls
to believe the world changes
in the sunlight, but no matter the hour
I hear her over the noise
enthusiastically
calling me home.
That light switch always gives
a little shock
when I touch it in this dry January air
& still every time
it surprises me like a goldfish
circling the same water, losing its place
without a thought.
She sends a similar spark that lifts me
into the air
with that smile that could never
ground me
& I’m jolted into jagged lines
of unexpected experiences once again lost
without a worry.
There’s something arch
in my muse, the way
she can arrest me
with a particular turn of her lip
like a wind-spattered umbrella twists
so rain tastes my face.
She playfully wipes me
dry & I have to laugh
at our dewy inside joke.
I envy crows who hold grudges
against scared straw men —
plotting murder
with black medicine —
while you marvel at tarot cards
boasting of teamwork.
Before we say goodnight
and reflect
on the feathered farce
outside, you remind me
life is an interpretation
with every deal.
A year is just a product
of its age, days adding up
until finally a new year springs
to life, breathing in hope
among waves of salty beach
air. The sun screams its ascent
as it climbs out of the ocean,
lifting our spirits like
champagne glasses toasting
absent lights. Up and down
is a binary distinction I’m resolved
to overcome, like gravity
or monotony I must rise above.
I see clearly this year beginning
differently than last — your eyes
floating in my dreams,
fragrant in my breath.
Often Mumbled Musings