Mutiny Against the Sky (For Ethan)

The two of us climbed the hill
In mutiny against the sky.
"Come down from your high perch," I yelled,
"And give us a fair fight!"
Then you started grabbing at the clouds,
And laughing, I did the same.
Then there was a flash of light,
And it began to rain.
We looked at each other in disbelief,
And sprinted down the hill.
All the way home we laughed at our defeat,
Our desire for mutiny quelled.

Chasing Crows

On a cool Autumn day, a murder of crows
Is gathered in a courtyard.
Ignoring the passers-by, I sprint and chase them,
Knowing full well I won't catch them.
I just want to see the black mass scatter
And hear the beating of a hundred wings
And the low caw of half as many voices
Beneath the vault of clear blue sky.
How do the passers-by perceive me?
I wonder amidst my joy.
As if I were a lunatic, perhaps.
But, I think, there is nothing crazy about this.
I am the chaser-away of bad omens,
Confronting evil head-on.
Let the others scoff.
They will look out their window later today,
And there will be the crows,
And anxiety will tear at their hypocritical minds.

Two Devils

Two young devils, after years of separation, met one evening to take a stroll. Both were eager to find out what the other had learned in his experience tempting mortals to sin. Though, as is the case with friends, one was more eager than the other, and it was this first devil that proposed the question.

            “If you had the choice,” he said, “between tempting a bright young man to sell his soul for power and tempting a beautiful young woman to sell her body for money, which would you choose?”

            “Easy,” replied his overconfident friend, “I’d choose the young man. I’d be winning a soul, whereas, in the latter case, I’d be gaining nothing but wealth. And as we all know, a soul is a very substantial thing, whereas wealth is nothing but an illusion.”

Seduction

My body makes no bold assertions
And neither does my gaze.
Is it any wonder that I speak to you now,
Lust given full reign over the sound of my voice?
Yes, my darling, I gave you no choice.
Though your skin remains aloof,
Your mind is moistened by the penetration
Of each word.
I can only hope that when all is finished,
A seed will have been planted
And a memory formed.

Bells

Hear the bells, the chimeric bells,
That mark, once again, this same destiny.
Fainter and fainter they've become
As we retreat into the past
Away from death, unholy death,
And from a distance, reshape our dreams.
Hear the bells, the distant bells!
Who's to say we will hear them again
And fulfill our latest destiny?

Night Fishing

Here I sit in my little wooden boat,
The sky above me dark, except for the moon
And the stars.
My line remains slack--
The fish aren't biting.
All that stirs are the frogs
Whose croaking can be heard
From across the pond,
And the reeds, lined by moonlight
As they sway in the spectral breeze.
It doesn't matter if I catch a fish or not.
Soon, the dawn will throw its net over the sky
And I will be caught
With wonder, and true reverence.