the beginning of anything

they encircle me
in a silent concert
ten, eleven, twelve
droop and swirl
swoop and drool
i am an under-
water canary
trying to sing
in the liquid thickness
SEE! the drifter slips in
alongside the fourteen
children and in a soft
and enchanting voice
recounts the day before
when everything was smelling
like garbage and your eye
was twitching
give in, he says.
There are flippers
and fantastic fortunes in the
night and in the blooming
of your tiny song, oh please
SING!! use
the very most
simple of gifts,
the very most
tender offering,
a word with
smooth curls and
important lines, the
balance and the elegant
spontaneous gesture
ALIGHT!!! Love is like
a bird resting on a branch, breathe
easily in and out, your shoulders
dropping, remember those fierce
bright wet eyes how they saw you,
remember, and go
on like a flower,
giving everything
and be curious like
a child, alive like one thousand
children, like a swarm of light
the notes all blending
and bleeding together
as in a dream.