Red Sky

I have eaten my dinner 

Do not despair

I have eaten my dinner and the Devil

When he comes will see

I have intact

A peripatetic philosophy

That prizes above all

Not fame

Not virtue

Never grace

But burnt asparagus                    red wine

Red wine like the red sky

The red slit of sky above you with

Salmon edges                    its holes

A turquoise belt at the horizon hiding

The woods I lie in

After a long walk

After a long walk through bramble                    pea shoots

Toasted old bread to dip

A creek warble                    short

Skirt shorter

After a long walk what is

Current                      what awaits 

What awaits

What will break

The thrall of the Devil
 

Copyright © 2016 Caryl Pagel. Used with permission of the author.