ONCE UPON A TIME
BY ADEN THOMAS
Somewhere the world begins.
A book opens. A toddler stands.
The air smells like cinnamon.
A man lies in the branches of a cottonwood tree.
He notices the leaves flow like waves
just before they glide into the shore.
A seagull, thinking he’s an albatross,
flies into the fist of circumpolar winds.
Spanish syllables let loose their hounds.
Soon you’re running with the pack
gathering dandelions under the moonlight.
A poet swallows lava. The legend opens true.
His tongue forks lighting.
A old woman takes her last breath.
Her hand opens. A white carnation
blooms inside her palm.
Gyroscope Review 16-4
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