come let’s sit

on the front porch

in pink morning air

savor coffee

closeness

 

hands-over-brows

we’ll face east

watch lavender clouds rise

over rooftops

kiss tips of tall trees

 

then we’ll set our cups

down on the table

we’ll sand layers

long lacquered

 

peel off

varnished veneers

 

down to circles

patterns

of light

and dark grain

 

expose blankets

of root beds

burls borne

from breakage

 

and a map of the seasons

we grew without rain