The Digger by Ed Rosenthal
The lime vanilla ice-pop seen from a mile away
was a woman pushing a stick in the ground.
The wind romanced her rough robe
blowing cotton petals in and out.
Her splotched white Dandelion of hair
flung itself around her arms and shoulders
Now half mile out the flimsy white head
green cloth flapping
She was boat of bones flying a flag
pulling a wood anchor in a sand ocean.
The lips of the moon whispered “Go
to makeup ridge where earth grew
in giant mascara tubes.”
My shadow climbed the hillside
breathing heavy to the apex
where an effervescent coyote greeted me
with a muzzle tilt to the moon.
A cholla cactus discarding limbs in a pile
threw an arbor of copper spines around us
from coyote’s muzzle to his fluffy rear
and from his flank over my shoulders
Coyote gained a look of suburban flair
green pajamas of plant fiber covered
his haunches tinged red in the red sky.
Suddenly our prison was time warped
inundated in lilac cloud underthings
discarded by eighteenth century
female clouds dressing for storms.
Layer upon layer a moist violet petticoat
swished aerosol lilac mist which thickened
to cotton candy consistency
We two in languid sleepiness
crammed in a dreamy blanket
inside a luxury box!
Six by Twenty by Ten feet
Ready for sale ground floor
South Coast Plaza Retail ridge
“Eco Designs by Chocolate Cholla
includes man and Coyote”
But our heavy box of limbs broke free
ripped the umbilical of cholla
and we tumbled over the road as she
watched her big box baby bounce.
I was a mute Victim of Coyote
howls with my head shoved
against his as we landed high up
in an upholstered corner of cactus
as-if posed for brother’s selfies
together.
Over the busy muzzle of the dog
howling in the dense lilac
from the corner of my eye
I scanned the Ancient traffic logs
on makeup ridge
A grim man rode a white horse
over the road in a flowing robe
of wine and Gold
from his riding boots to his neck
ending at his chin in a Fu man chu.
and above his head
a round hat of Animal skin.
Coyote woke me then
when the remote road glowed
in another day’s light a black horse
galloped by from the sun’s side
a driven rider knees dug in
a doppelganger in the wind
a man in wine and gold
his hem above his hips.
poetbroker.com 