The Slant of the Sun

The Slant of the Sun

There’s something about
A wing-snapped bird
Alone in the dust–
A black cat on the grass.

There’s something about
A grey eyed girl
Alone in the back–
Not a friend in the class.

There’s something about
The brown of booze
Before a broken man–
His brief case right beside.

There’s something about
A spider’s web
Across an open gate–
Mom calls the kids inside.

It’s the slant of the sun, I know.
The shifting of the Earth
In her wide, soft bed.
Come every September
She nods her head,
And the stars shake loose
And the shadows stretch out
And I notice that
There’s something about

Empty wheel chairs
Outside the sliding glass doors–
The laughter in the park.

There’s something about
A child’s eyes
The closet door ajar–
And it is getting dark.

There’s something about
The moon, the sea,
And the civilizations
Uncovered by the tide.

There’s something about
A will to carry on,
When a wing is cracked
And the cat is on the lawn.

Michael Koep, 2004

©2006 Tripcat songs/painting by Michael Koep