blue now

By Rae Diamond / Issue 20

now but earlier

the mountains glowed

the mountains pink

pink the moon close

to full close

to this living

rock in the relative

distances of its ellipse

its yawning oval

its tilted spiltcircle

whirl and i a tempo

rarily animated frag

ment stepping oh

oh over boulders

bold or stand under sky

no step footstep

past dead thorned branches unhitching

from fabric stretch ahead to the next

wet stone to the next sea

kissed rock slosh

to the left twig tangle

to the right rocks drop into be

yond the reaching

steps on stones in time

onto sand

seasoaked receding

receiving foot sin

king sinking at each

step and the old

lady behind me

shouting arms wa

ving in the air

you did it you did

it and i did

but there was

another stretch

of ocean against

rock to clamber

over under

the dimming dome in

the darkening air and i made a way

i cannot call mine over that

rockreach too but

beyond her elated

eyes

it was some act no

one wit

nessed a nest of experiences lost

that might some day

hold an egg or two a clutch

in a roost a clasp

on a boot and

maybe wings will

fallow then follow wind and arc

above and away and ah

ah a way

RAE DIAMOND is an artist, educator, and nature advocate. They began self publishing zines as a homeless youth in the ’90’s, and their poems now appear or are forthcoming in Petrichor, Wild Roof, Pidgeonholes, Litro, Clockhouse, and Sinister Wisdom. Their prose book, The Cantigee Oracle, is published by North Atlantic Books, and their poetry collection, floating bones, will be published by First Matter Press in September 2023.