Dreams:

Of rushing–

headlong –

down flight after flight

of white, right-angled

staircases,

in hope of catching

& meeting

that bright elevator

when it completes

its descent;

Of accepting

the usher’s white rose

& following through

the auditorium’s dark,

near-empty aisles

to a seat farthest back

as the lecturer speaks

of death;

Of wading

in shoals of translucent

blue water,

waves lapping, pooling,

as I balance–

barefoot –

on the world’s knobbed,

ancient spine

while a dolphin swims

just out of reach.

Dreams

& dreams

& dreams.

Forming,

flowing one into

another.

Half-remembered.

Scattered.

Tattered.

Incomplete.

Dreams interrupted

& rest-less

sleep.

— C.Birde, 12/20

With a look in her eye –

imperious, sly –

that suggested

I knew her meaning,

she asked for a taste

(“a taste, just a taste!”)

of my “Boyfriend Jam”,

not jelly.

But I –

bewildered, confused,

unable to grasp

what she implied –

could only stare,

slack-jawed,

standing there,

& in vain futility

wonder.

— C.Birde, 12/20

“Look out for the dog…”

Beyond any line of sight,

vanished up a lane

in this labyrinthine,

underground,

terrain,

his words echo out —

a sonic ripple stroked

against the air –

and find their mark.

Warning or instruction?

Unclear as compressed,

unspooling dark.

And then,

sudden as a ghost,

it appears –

the forewarned dog…

A great white beast,

indiscriminately splotched

in charcoal spots.

Prick eared.

Whip tailed.

Smooth fur, close-coated.

Just off the path, it waits…

Great rosy tongue, a‘lolling.

Shell-pink pale muzzle

upturned in doggy grin.

A creature far from

fearsome.

Continue in accord

through enfolding dark;

left arm slung over

the great dog’s muscled,

lambent,

milk-white shoulders;

draped across its thick neck;

until…

Until…

Furred flesh shifts and

shivers;

morphs;

transforms.

Exchanges canine shape

for human;

woman.

Tall, straight-spined;

strong, clear-eyed.

Tireless companion.

Fearsome guide.

Warrior.

Side by side,

press on as one —

together —

through the dark.

— C.Birde, 12/20