In this endless rain
The peonies have laid down
Like fluffy white dogs

In their exhausted abundance
I am reminded of my
Breasts many years ago,
With a steady stream of milk
Meandering unconsciously over pale painful curves.

I am encased
Sometimes suddenly
by memories
A momentary chrysalis embrace.

Like thinking of my own mother
All those years ago
Sunglasses and sawdust
Adorning her hair after work
Strong tan arms
and cheese sandwiches

Can’t these images and their accompanied twists of fleeting love be etched on some eternal gallery?

When we change and morph between the worlds
Do our new bodies bear the marks
Of what’s been gathered up?

I don’t know.
But just listen here: we are drops of water
suspended terrifyingly
momentarily
abundantly
in a dizzying vastness
of peony clouds.

Art by Peter Sugarman