I wanted to circumnavigateyour pulse
  but I caughtyou on an off-beat

I tried to stumbleacross your hospitable ecstasy
  but first Ineeded to stop trying

I heard people referringto you as a serendipity magnet
  and I wonderedif we had like or unlike charges

the seashore updraftsheard of “we”
  but I thoughtthey murmured merely “oui”

waterfalls and cairnsknew of our future history
  but they werekeeping it to themselves

dawn mist refuses toinvade your personal space
  but you missbreathing the vapor

you used to answerto Sarah
  but Dearbornspills from your mouth these days

the jets fly silently
  when they passover your head

stigmata erupted onyou
  the last timean “adulteress” was stoned to death in Nigeria

kayaks don’t roll withyou in them
  even drunkenjetskiers’ wakes dissipate when they near you 

your name is regularlywhistled on the aquarium’s Orca FM station
  but they haven’tdecoded the syllables yet

you intuitively knowhow many pine needles there are on a tree
  but how how  do we stop the quiet places from eluding us

Copyright 2002, StephenBuckley
08.29.02, 1030-1100am