El ... Poem by RIC BASTASA

there is something
in your smile
that hinges beyond
the shape of your
body
your arms
sculpt me
into human
form again
for years i
have been
turned into
a big
stone

god of the
walls
pillar of
my gods

when i look
at you
the world
blooms
into a flower

it is this want
and need

but reason is
a sword
that hits
from one side
of my body
to the other

i do not surrender
i am on my wings now
i am flying away
and you feel nothing
about my leaving

nothing's changed
your world is still
sea, sky, land.