A dragonfly landed on my shoulder at a tattoo parlor in Haight-Ashbury

It cast a shadow that moves me to hover

In soft, flowing, iridescent cloth that shimmers in sunlight

As the wind causes marsh grasses to bend and sway

And aspens to swirl and swish

A mix of cobra hiss and a copperhead rattle

And memories of holding a sea shell up to my ear

Memories of a man who held me tight under his weight

An ex-lover who let me steal the color green from him

Although

I was the one in his trap

His scent…autumn leaves and mold

My fingers grip his soft silky cheeks

My hands pull tight on his

Short, curly topped, sausage shaped hair

I try to push him off as I wheeze with the strain of his weight

I was a a chestnut chickadee then

And hated being bumped unexpectedly

I stood on one leg, then the other

Droop and sag

Droop and sag

I keep the green and paint him

The peachy, pinky, orangey ochre of fall

To replace the air pressed out of me

I take deep abdominal breaths to feel the chill of winter

While biting into him I imagine

Biting into juicy pomegranates, sweet cherries and plums

I become a radiant mirror

Reflecting the vibrations from his eyes

A never-ending spiral of all the places we have been

And yet we never get to see

I charge my hands and warm the spot that aches