Of Leaf and Wing (for Dani and Col on this their special day)

‘What’s true of labyrinths is true of course

of love and memory’ – Jack Spicer

There’s a reason wings always come in pairs.

From raven humble to butterfly proud,

it takes a twin beat to fight back the air,

push against gravity, to dance with the clouds.

Life was a labyrinth for one lonely leaf,

her wild reds dulled to a shadow of fire,

it made stars quiver, it made willows weep.

Those days her song was a poltergeist choir.

But one day another, red as heart’s blood,

came rolling through gales ‘til they met with a kiss.

This day their stems became entwined for good,

the two red leaves hung together in bliss;

this day to be bound in love and in trust,

when “should you need me” became  “should you need

Us...”