Illusions In The Beauty Of A Hibernating Heart Poem by Robert Rorabeck

We sold watermelons together and
Now these songs
Cut up into penny candy for 20 cents—
So far from Mexico,
Just a few hours by plane—and I am
Diminishing,
But I still love you—cicadas crossing
Their legs and
Changing their clothing in the night—
I remember sleeping on your
Roof while you slept
In the bedroom with your husband
And your children:
I was your wolf gusting away—trying to
Sleep in the storerooms of your chimney—
Trying to make believe we might once
Enjoy the sunlight of rollercoasters—
If we became the plagiarisms of
Tourists—if they kept us together as
The snow melted and ran down the cheeks of
Summer—
Now your knights follow you as your car
Is repossessed—where are you going,
Where the rattlesnake lies coiled?
I keep trying to paint for you in these echoes—
Illusions in the beauty of a hibernating heart:
As the school days continue lapsing over themselves—
You are all I can remember,
Even though I will awaken tomorrow and lapse
Through another day without you remorse.