58 years a mountain

September 26th, 2014

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There is a mountain sixteen miles high.
Every hundred years a butterfly brushes its wings across the granite face.
When the mountain is ground to dust, that’s how long time is.
Multiplied by ten billion.

An hour after midnight on the twenty-sixth
a crown of light
a blear of tears
my father climbed a fire escape
to the third floor rear
no, wait
that wasn’t me
years have smeared
the muddy lines of memory
my mother wept
our bodies two
one snip and from the roof I flew
down the Santa Monica Mountains
into the valley dim
not really, really
thus, pitched from the rim
unseated from the peak
I made slow time across a billion-year cheek
Now stopped in place
an eon nigh
the invisible kiss
of a butterfly.

On the anniversary of my birth.

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12 Comments »

  1. Lovely. The pebbles in your garden were once mountains. Happy birthday youngster.

    Comment by MichaelDouglas Jones (@MJonesStudio) — September 26, 2014 @ 6:04 am

  2. Happy birthday, Maezen.

    Comment by Andy L. — September 26, 2014 @ 6:49 am

  3. So beautiful. Happy Birthday Maezen♡!

    Comment by Jane — September 26, 2014 @ 7:08 am

  4. Happy Birthday to you. I am glad you were born. xo

    Comment by Denise Cusack — September 26, 2014 @ 7:36 am

  5. Lovely words…and sentiment. Happy birthday, Maezen.

    Comment by Sharon — September 26, 2014 @ 7:47 am

  6. Happy Birthday to you, Maezen! Beautiful words from a beautiful you…

    Comment by Clare — September 26, 2014 @ 9:59 am

  7. A lovely poem. Happy Birthday.

    Comment by marilee pittman — September 26, 2014 @ 10:55 am

  8. Happy birthday Maezen! What a beautiful poem to celebrate..Thank you. _/\_

    Comment by Lurleen — September 27, 2014 @ 8:26 pm

  9. Hi Maezen—

    one snip and from the roof I flew

    I made slow time across a billion-year cheek

    the invisible kiss
    of a butterfly.

    such is truth……happy birthday!
    daniel

    Comment by daniel boylan — September 28, 2014 @ 1:22 pm

  10. I am glad you exist …. Happy birthday Maezen!

    Comment by Rosie — September 29, 2014 @ 11:37 pm

  11. Happy birthday! Ofcourse one day we will discover time is non-existent. I heard last week someone had discovered the possibility of paralel universes, so we are getting there. Anyway Back to the birthday, I hope you had a wonderful day. I am so glad to be able to read your writing and blog and to think about what you say. Kind regards, Simone.

    Comment by Simone — September 30, 2014 @ 3:48 am

  12. Happy Birthday, Maezen. Grateful to be here at the same time as you!

    Comment by Deirdre — October 2, 2014 @ 6:57 am

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