I watch the red that dot your skin,
Like spots of rain on dusty brims,
Or rolling beads off sweating brows,
That patter on the sidewalk rows.

I watch the veins beneath your skin,
Crisscrossing all the flesh within,
Like rivers in blue caverns weep
A rolling gurgle in the deep.

I watch the pearls that dot your smile,
Like lights upon a curving mile,
Or diamonds that spark and dim,
Like waxing moons above your chin.

And as I watch I feel a flicker,
Quickening my heart that flutters,
Like a pennant in the wind,
Or a candle wavering.

But then the flame settles, like my heart,
And I become a glowing orange hearth.

[Read “The Perch“]