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WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING
Delphi knows every answer
god inserted into wood.
She knows you have a question
about eagles’ mating practices
and the long plunge
down the spiraling wind.
Delphi invites you to sit by the hearth
and relax with jasmine tea,
intentionally distracts you from the tarot
that remains untouched, unread.
You hear the horses down in the pasture
as they play in the ankle deep snow.
You hear the moon’s footsteps retreat
through the sky and audibly fade.
Delphi excuses herself for no reason,
makes kitchen sounds, tunes in Bach.
She leaves you staring into the distance
of fiery transformation, couched by
the crackle and pop of pitch filled pine,
as the heat swiftly rises out the chimney
to form spiraling thermals
that push wings higher and higher.
AFTER THE HAY IS STACKED
(a daughter speaks to her father)
I want you to tell me the truth,
not hide the horses from us girls
who want to ride western
with a horn and rope for strays.
Your guns won’t solve the problem
and the five shots you fired
scattered us, but did not kill
our burning questions.
I remember how you taught us,
when we were young,
all those boy scout and army skills
for survival in the wilderness.
We do not love you any less
now that we are fourteen to seventeen,
but there are social survival skills
we need to learn from you.
Soon, I’ll be the first to leave home
and I hope you’ll stand up like a man,
shake my hand, say Good-bye,
before that warm hug of farewell.
Kenneth P. Gurney lives in Albuquerque, NM, USA. His work appears mostly on the web
as he spends SASE and reading fee dollars on flowers for his lover. To learn more about Kenneth, visit Web Site
Email: Kenneth P. Gurney
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