Within You and Without You
by Gary Hardaway
After Rain
The pavements glisten still
with just-ended steady rain.
Rivulets flow along
gutters and into drains.
The grass burns a brighter
green and rises, turgid.
For a moment, the drought ends,
here in early June, before
the real fire sets in.
Moonlight, late October
The not quite half moon
smiles its not quite smile
above the roof tops.
The cloudless sky
amplifies the incompletion,
clarifies the imperfections
of the night's normalcy-
the not quite we all expect
but never hope for.
The sky disappoints again
our cosmic dreams
of something precise and perfect.
Urban Pastoral
The cottontail investigates its fur
and takes in the early morning air
in a glow of artificial light.
Twenty feet away,
I make no sudden moves
and savor the dark before dawn.
I like all three,with Urban Pastoral my favorite. I was there with you, holding my breath, watching that wascally wabbit.
Thank you, Matt.
"The not quite half moon
smiles its not quite smile"
Beautiful image. All 3 are enjoyable.
Thank you, Erika.
All three are nice, I am partial to "Moonlight, late October".
Thank you, Kitty.
"The cloudless sky
amplifies the incompletion"
Nice!
Thank you, Bill.
like Mathew, I like all three.
savor the dark before dawn.
Yep. And I think of George Harrison too.*
*, Gary. A fine triple play. I like them all, but especially "Urban Pastoral".
Thank you, Tim.
Thank you, David.
*
Thank you, Sam
Liked especially the Urban Pastoral piece. Nice mini-drama.
*
Thank you, Gary.
*Gentle, soothing, and also, provocative. You always draw me in and take me elsewhere.
Thank you, Nonnie.