Cloud Forest

Against the mountain slope, incoming fog—

we stood near the maroon strips of bark and inhaled the aroma of a rainbow eucalyptus—

in the Netherlands, a rising sea level is stressing dikes—

an akepa is singing—

waves were whitecapping against black lava rock—

on an atoll, nuclear waste was dumped into a concrete vault—

we find these truths to be self-evident—

in a past life, you played the clarinet in a marching band—

now the vault has cracked—

have we not meandered, bewildered, in a cloud forest?—

along this coast, I am tracing the contours of desire—

the pilot veers the helicopter up over the canyon rim as we gasp—

the amaui has vanished— we step into red ginger daylight—