Cats Cradle
After the stridex pad, and the toothbrush,
the mouthwash and melatonin,
the cat watches me from his bedside basket
taking off my pants and socks
putting on very loose, thin sweatpants
removing the days shirt, slipping into another
equally as loose fitting and thin
[…]
What must he think of this routine
night after night with no knowledge that we die
only of life—the hunt for small birds or mice,
the sunny spot on the rug—its slow passage
beneath the window beyond the houseplants,
the proper time for wet-food dinner
[…]
What a bizarre spectacle I must be
removing a layer, donning another,
slipping under the blankets,
reading till sleep overtakes me
and the anxiety of work tomorrow,
of everything undone yet to be done,
ever undone again, and to do again,
to do tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow
***
The Full Moon & a Fox
Moving through the gloom of the dark
pillared temple of the forest at night
I can feel it in my knees, a cold stiff blade,
smallness that sits sedimentary in my lungs
a gift horse with teeth, a mare pulling me
through the night, stumbling briefly on a limb
I flush a fox that veers away, agile reflexes,
it springs atop a low stone wall, practically
flows from the ground smoothly to perch
the grace of its tail, a soft serpentine whisk
confident it is as far from any danger
as it needs to be for the moment, it is red
although some subtle swatch it is to me
in grayscale tones, my night vision, reads
red in my mind from the white tip of its tail
It turns to look me in the eye, before flowing
away, vanishing into the forest’s deeper tones
where I will not be following it tonight, instead
I will sit in my own den, to find the medicine
by reading what is hidden between the lines
***
Solvitur Ambulando
drowning out the sound
of the creek and chickadees
my thoughtsclouding this moment
of sun-sparkling frosted pines
my thoughtswalking and walking
today’s recipe calls for the feet
hurting more than my heart
David Anthony Martin is a poet, columnist, and writer who flies kites far too infrequently, forages wild mushrooms when in season, collects feathers when he finds them, writes daily, and dreams nightly. He has been published in an assortment of journals and anthologies, is the author of four collections of poems (Span, Deepening the Map, Bijoux, and The Ground Nest). He works in several capacities for the Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center in both Beulah and Pueblo, Colorado, including Environmental Educator, Hike Guide, Camp Counselor, and Caretaker. He is the founding editor of Middle Creek Publishing & Audio.