Myopia

the air is all bells and blue
and the sidewalk is all dimes
and the expiring carbon dioxide is
all song the song of dying leaves.

she emerges from the cusp
of myopia wearing the lens
of my eye like an oxygen halo
peeling her skin from buildings and cars

and all i want is
to slow it down
until i hear the doppler music
of cars and blue jeans stretching
eternally in mid stride
to suspend this moment
while it still might be --

and transpose that moment of possibility
onto the blue paper sky
onto every paper tree
and every paper leaf

so the breath of cars
will hum with the song of "is"
will bear the falling leaves
and shut my failing eyes

2004