26. The Tragedy of the Marble Cat
This marble cat sits
On a marble windowsill,
Watching everlasting asphalt streets.
On marble haunches,
Teases metal cars
With its sleek, cold grace.
Lifelike marble tail,
Slender as hairless stone can be,
Almost seems to swing,
With a touch of imagination.
Bright emerald eyes wink,
Almost intelligently.
But not for all the imagination in the world
Will this marble cat ever
Catch a single real mouse.

27.
I dreamed a dream of sunshine
But covered by thick rain
I dreamed a dream of laughter
But underneath was pain.
I dreamed a dream of childhood
Grasped with a stubborn hold
But stories, hurt of ages
Lay in his eyes, untold.
He said he had no mother
He said he didn’t care
But he must have felt empty
For he asked me to go there.
Alone, he claims he’s happy
But that’s not what I saw
Deep down, Pan has a longing
That he can’t quite ignore.

28.
imagine a world that went funny
the little girl is like it
she loves the mad hatter inside her mirror
he gives joy
i wish i was not dreaming
the cheshire cat wrote a story-song:
“remember the time color pretended that queens turned red & white?”
magic castle is home to caterpillar who believes what friend said: he will be a new butterfly
in living garden, flowers talk
his turn: your cry is always music on stormy nights
hold me because you understand
grow old with peace upon this wild summer day
she nests in moon and cloud and sea
happy i am with you

29.
It seems not long since he stepped in;
He hasn’t left me cold.
For no amount of loss can harm
My everything of gold.
I reflect on mem’ries shining bright
When the bless’d day did unfold—
He stepped in my heart and made my world
An everything of gold.

30. water sprite
I melt into the waves again
You could say I’d never been
My only cenotaph at all
A wet handprint upon a wall