dusk
there is a moment
when the worries of the day fade
and the terrors of the night
have yet to creep in.
when a light
cuts
across your path
suspending you
between.
between.
a reprieve
an alchemy
a glow
a flush
dusk.
Evan Fleming
©2018
Summer Cast
Summer awaits,
The young of heart-
Dream endless dreams,
On fishin’ docks.
You cast your pole,
And you wait-
For summer to come,
To cast your fate.
Evan Fleming
©2017
a winter’s nap
After a trounce in the snow,
After a cup of hot cocoa,
After a hearty stoke of the coals,
After a chapter of Thoreau-
I succumb.
And the world goes black…
After that.
Evan Fleming
©2015
red dirt
red dirt slipping through my fingers
stains all the way to my soul
and I can travel endless highways
but cannot shake this soil…
Evan Fleming
©2013
fall
a stained glass sunset
over fields of summer
becoming blotched shadows
until one with the
sky
the long conversation
between migrating birds
restless to settle
restless to
fly
the awkward position
of one life traveler
embracing a season
while wishing the other
goodbye
Evan Fleming
©2014
she lived in words
she put them on her
face every
morning
washed her hair
in them
every night
she whirled
upon a
little ‘i’
until dizzy
and fell down
into a fetal
‘c’
she would
bunch them
around her
at bedtime
and wrap
them around
her heart
when hurting
she would:
hang them on her wall
set them in her china cabinet
put them on her lawn
and get them to the tip
of her tongue
she lived in words
but never did speak.
Evan Fleming
©2000
afternoon song
sun comes up
makes you smile
head in heart
heart in child
you walk alone
in morning time
save your song
for afternoon
when sun is high
sun goes down
makes you sad
face in hand
hand in lap
you pass along
in twilight’s glow
song is hung
for awhile
on the moon’s elbow
Evan Fleming
©2013
the ocean
the ocean is very forgiving
and always there
she mends
your heart
in her
break
seaward pull
seafarer fool
i don’t know
if the same
could be said
for a lake
Evan Fleming
©1998
Sunset Flat
“The sharp, slant light through the clouds pulled everything out from the green background like cutout…” Amy Wilentz, The Rainy Season 1989
The sun set flat today
Behind a cutout mountain
And I laid sideways
And hoped for a three-d moon.
But the sky didn’t cooperate
And no stars fell from their patterns
So I sat upright
And watched the rain fill my shoes.
Evan Fleming
©1997
night swimming
swimming that night we did
under magical stars lit
as if we were dolphins
as if the sea we were crossing
until our heart’s content.
Evan Fleming
©1997
I Danced A Dance Upon Your Heart
I danced a dance upon your heart,
Just the other night;
You couldn’t see me-
But I was there…
Until twilight.
Others gazed from their chairs,
And could not share my joy;
Your soul caught mine-
So true and fair,
And silenced all the noise.
Though the hall is empty now,
I dance in the dark;
And retrace your steps-
So lovely, So sublime.
The sun comes up,
The sun goes down,
The dance is done…
But my heart is still keeping time.
Evan Fleming
©2000
Sea of Metal
Isn’t it strange how our hearts meet-
No face to face entanglement.
There you are alone,
With only words of me.
And I cast out my soul,
On a sea of metal.
Be kind to me.
Isn’t it strange how our walls fall-
No pretenses impediment.
Here I am alone,
With only words of you.
I reel in my nets,
Before they settle.
My anchor sinks.
The ghosts of Seamen come to haunt me,
From every island and isle.
And voices of ancient mariners,
Telling, “Don’t let the sea beguile.”
“For we fought pirates, thieves, and captains;
And weren’t without visceral rebellions.”
“Then came the myths, lore, and legends;
So be careful-
My seafaring child.”
Isn’t it strange how our hearts leave-
In sudden abandonment.
Here we are alone,
With only words to read.
But dams can’t stop the flow,
When the hearth is ready for the fettle.
Water turns to ink.
Evan Fleming
©2000
minus one
five stars shown
in summer’s twilight sky
one for each passenger
minus one
from an idle station wagon
cars drive by
pointing skyward
sweating downward
each calling dibs
and wishing
and waiting
but by the time mine arrived
the game was over
the song was old
five became thousands
the engine started
the windows rolled high
eyes that gazed heavenward
were fixed upon the road
minus one
Evan Fleming
©2000
Some Roads
Some roads lead you across
Some roads bend back
and you’re lost
And there are those
Who take no road at all-
They follow their heart,
friend
And don’t mind it
If their stars get
crossed
Evan Fleming
©2000
Becky Blueflower
Becky Blueflower
You shan’t bloom
Under midday sun
Or cordial moon
The gardener you must displease
Becky Blueflower
When others burgeon
Your peddles are tight
And nectar kept
Just to irritate the bees
Becky Blueflower
Behind your stem
Your flower friends
Are calling you a snob
But Becky Blueflower
You shan’t fool me
I know you
You’re waiting for a vase
Evan Fleming
©1999
in the vines
hidden away in a forest green,
is a place that’s never seen;
and no one but us could ever find,
for youthful eyes are very keen-
…in the vines.
Evan Fleming
©1980
his home
it was wildflowers among the green,
stars reflecting in the stream.
baseball on the hill,
hide-n-seek in the field.
it was all a boy could dream,
when dreams were skipping stones.
memories for a lifetime,
when a human being finds his home.
Evan Fleming
©1980