Coronation
did you
ever hear
a cardinal sing
with an opera chest
and a cone crown
and a red robe
and you forgot
the day
the week
the month
the year
neither dark
nor light
but gray
like the moor
in early morn
laced in silver threads
spun from spools
of spider legs
and the song
had something
knew
something you knew
before
else or any
when even if
the night was long
l o n e l y
you could close
your eyes
and count on it
shield yourself
from harm
within the breath
of dreams
beneath the bough
apart from season
or other things
that change
a child
like how she hears
a cardinal sing
TL