The translator

if it speaks on 

behalf of you

and it speaks

on behalf of me

what is it that

is exactly speaking

to the both of us

is it our heart

the shared connection

that holds us

that has taken

your hand

and holds my

hand too

and that will

place our hands

together some day

the whispers in the night

the smiles seen

just out of view

the hovering warmth 

the embodiment

is this an instrument

a guide for our voices

between our souls

Yearly days

in about three days

the balance will return

the light and dark will equal

the cold will retreat

the ice will thaw

the earth will wake

the sun will shine

the seeds will remember

the soul will shake

and free itself from

the foggy introspection

heart bells will ring

in the swirling breeze

warm hands will find

anxious shoulders

gentle fingers will find

necks anticipating their moves

as the geese take 

a northern trajectory 

Still in dreams

you are out there

in the crowd

I feel your eyes

when they're upon me

though I'm looking

through dark glasses

you give me the urge

to take flight

upon my ascension

we pass each other

in your descent

that's when it clicks

and we spend the

rest of the night

catching up to the other

through any means

possible

 

Thirteenth of the 13: the final five

dresser drawers

seem to glow orange

as one drifts

off into slumber

with the silent snow

an old friend with the

same name of 

a current one

she begins to teach

telling of her journeys

past explosions stall

in pressurized times

feeding the public

with rich heavy food

pizza weighed down

in seas of cheese

leaving the thirteen

nights behind you are

left with these words:

the two find each other

Twelfth of the 13: the sleeping poet

the numerous rooms of the house

were filled with scattered items

and the sickly woman 

attempted to serve her guests

the meat was delivered

butchered and ready to process

sausages were the choice

in the amateur preparation 

the three dogs prior in life

over extended their sniffers

the wrong clothes were available 

while the right clothes 

were already waiting

at the place of work

it had all been misplaced

because the black shelving 

now contained the wrong items

if only the clock wasn’t

an hour and 19 minutes 

ahead of where it should be 

 

Eleventh of the 13: what speaks to you

within a barn

within the woods

a beast dwells

who steals the bags

of passersby 

but you may speak 

with this beast 

who explains how 

it knows English

is because it listens 

ghosts speak to nurses

they will remain

as long as no one

switches their doctor

images are vague 

what was said is distant

but you showed up

nonetheless 

Tenth of the 13: I melted in your arms

tiniest of ducklings 

in multitudes float

as snowflakes in an

early spring flurry

the sun and flowers return

and you shine

in your beauty and glory

I am fortunate and grateful

to behold you in Apollo's grace

at a fair of art and jewelry 

we pass through the stalls 

of various crafts and wares

with music in the air

our friend almost asks

me to dance as the song

reminds her of a tv show

but we look at each other

and agree in our eyes 

to take to the dancefloor

ourselves

moving slowly together

my hands take to your shoulders

in your striped shirt

you tell me I was looking lonely

when I was sitting across from you

I reply that I could melt in your arms

the clock then reads 3:37 am