from behind your shoulders
i watch wave
upon
wave upon your
shoulders i
touch your neck

i slide my
hands down the
trails of
your body
and dig

my toes
down deep
pressing

into the moment
like copper

undiscovered
and rough

hidden in
long-abandoned mines.

like early settlers
we point

our compasses
windward

we cross over
collarbones
and streams

moving
hand over hand
over rib

slow and starving
we howl upwards
like cayotes

panting into the night
and pushing back

against smoke-filled skies.

from behind you
i pull the stars down
touch your shoulders

again and again i

trace the spaces
with my thumb until

they settle there
at the bottom
of your riverbed

and it's here
that i wait for it,
watch me wait for it

to strike gold

01/16/2013

Posted on 01/17/2013
Copyright © 2025 Christina Butcher