for the Tuna
Those Calves
Those calves
those sweet swellings
I shyly followed in my adolescence
The most bounteous showing of forbidden flesh
the girls of my dreams
I followed them to school
meditating, contemplating,
merging my whole being with their breadth
and
worlds of recognition appeared and taught me
and from calves alone
I saw deeply into the lives
into the ways
into the very character
of those elusive maidens
But I was young and didn't notice
so natural it seemed
and not at all rare
or wonderful
It was not until later
when my palms had poured over many calves
and my lips had pressed them softly
and my tongue had licked them sweetly
and I had known their silent rejoice
that I saw and understood
a Great Embrace
of ears and winds
of lips and trees
of voice and birds
of eyes and stars
That each revealed all
That in any aspect of life
attention could pour so completely
that laws and lessons would appear
I understood the stars and planets
never caused a single thing
but were observed to be
'just so'
when certain theatre would occur
and futures were proclaimed
I followed fox tracks with an African shaman
down to the river
I read tortoise shells
and yarrow stalks
with the old Chinese emperors
I stood with Odysseus
and watched an eagle
wheeling across the sky
I felt an evening fall with malevolence
I awoke a morning of good fortune
And that day
I don't know how this happened
But I can tell you it is true
I was going down to the river
watching birds turn in the sky
reading tea leaves and tortoise shells
and
I saw you
a long way off
with your shy calves
and your dress lifted
like a veil
over our future
