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The Poetry Of.
Rick Marlatt.....................................................

Mother and Babe
(For Kina)

Like a glow
emerging
in diamond oiled canvas
the child
drifts to dream
in mother's slow,
cradled sway.
Afternoon stillness-
he knows not
the weight
of relentless memory,
stubborn screams of conscience.
Only the steady thump
of mother's heart
on his soft
soft
temple
now.





Confessions of the Sycamore

In a time
where legends
are borrowed,
prophets estimated,

when
search for soul spirit
begins in the brain
and absurdity feeds
at the mouth
of pettiness,

one tastes
peach cream pie
on lips
of sunrise

who has kissed
this rainbow-edged-leaf
before
the others
everyday this week.





Sledding

Journeys of the afternoon sledders would be nothing
without the ones who were here first

when purged heavens finally sealed their air locks
and the last flake jumped onto the pile with open mouth and arms

Apollo arched his mighty back and rose from the depths,
broad crown peeked over eastern edge the dawn of new day

brave powder plowers packers pioneered here
when this valley was a single pristine blanket where no mistakes had been made

history was enabled by their long strides and frozen sweat cries
shaped under smooth trails of snow, while they were just trying to get to the bottom

round discs sear down, pummel sets of bundled multi-children like greased bowling balls
into teetering pins who squeal, laugh, and go down hard

valley goddess cradles you on her fingertips you sit with silence on her peak,
stare down into her palm

your journey there is imminent
a trip that seems more mysterious and less terrible all the time.

You may be a sliding torpedo who takes out flailed legs of submarining bodies
blaze jet spray trails of blinding chaos

or a reluctant willow leaf that twirls and flutters safely soundly
to a final resting place separate from the others

eyes shut, you let gravity and nature conjure their sweet magic
Evergreens whiz past, achy climbers part, and snow burns like ice pick slash

at some point, you're not sure when or through whom you tilt tumble
end up on your back and laugh for absolutely no reason

the overturned sled sprawled careless and free
is your good dog lying next to you in white-silent bounty

for a moment you gulp good air hang under cool marshmallow clouds
overlooking a sea-sky as vast and ancient as the place you came from

your journey there is imminent
a trip that seems more mysterious and less terrible all the time.




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