Storm Horses

Ocean-echo
A million drops of spray on the metal of my roof
Prolong this underwater feeling of slow motion.
If wishes were horses I’d have ridden to you
At the first clap of thunder,
Eager to be rocked to sleep in your arms
With the lullaby of each drop


Time and space
Wind
And waves of fear
Have taken their toll
Demand it from the red reflections of brake lights
That spill out in puddles in front of me
A vibrant warning to keep me in the here and now.


Silver needles of rain intersect violently
With the mercurial asphalt surface
Windshield wipers keep time
To the tinny sound of Madonna crooning
About the feel of rain on her fingertips
And I’m thinking about the slick hum of
Rubber eating the time and space
Between us


My heartbeat an extra piston
That only allows forward movement
It’s been six years since I saw you last
Which has me hoping that those six years might be somewhere ahead of me
Wishing me a safe return
A hundred or so horses under my hood
Are trying hard to make that wish come true

Fall 1994/Summer 1998