Thursday, July 29, 2010

indian paintbrush II

it's not what i expected
from a man on a hiking trip
just him and his dog
out there in the wilderness

i expected something solid
a branch, maybe, or a rock
something not easily broken
that can be jammed under gear

i never expected
something so delicate
something precious and precarious
kept bright and alive

and it sits on the desk
at the back of the cafe
revived by water from a nalgene
red petals dewy and firm

it is looking for the sun
craning its stem for some light
misplaced but so intact    so breathtaking
so perfectly preserved by this man and his dog

it is waiting for a poem to come
waiting for me to remember it
and i can't do it justice
because it's not what i expected

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