For Manny Grimaldi and Laura Foley                                               
                                        Thanks for the sparks        

Is an organ                                                
Of musical reflection
An album of season and story
Flame and frost
Leaving and returning
But, oh!, the dancing  

Is a melting popsicle
A sweet sticky mess
A wastebasket of discarded tissues
For every playful puppy video  
Cooing baby left on the doorstep
Hallmark Christmas commercial  

Is a muscle
Of body mechanics
Chugging legs up the mountain
Churning the paddle in rapids
One more lap in the pool
The 10,000 of what’s good for you  

Is a house divided
Walls thin enough to hear all
The doddering revolutionary
The sunflower farmer
The pity party caterer
The word tossing juggler  

Is sometimes a troublemaker                                                  
Drummer out of step
With the band
Loud murmurer
During church services
Hummingbird flutter
With no bloom nearby  

Is a beating thrum of justice
The righteous gavel
A hung jury
Some flawed martyr  

Is a romantic renegade
Leaping onto a skateboard
Racing downhill
Jumping stairs   grinding rails
The wind an ear wailing joyride
The sun urging you faster
You unruffled over what could be broken