cloud fall 

& the clouds came down as
the animals we saw in them--
hoof & claw-- 
steam & stampede--
clamor of glasses in
the cupboard-- 
i peeled open my blinds
to see
them all-- grey to white
their bodies left up
to interpretation--
you saw a dragon &
i saw the scowling face of
a teacher i had in elementary 
school-- the one who
made me sit on the
brick wall during recess--
i took inventory of
the clouds-- read their
body prophecies--
the rain is of course
coming-- balanced on
the heads of the elephants--
ripped from the ocean
in the teeth of
the mermaids-- sharp
pairing knives--
slice your strawberries
in half to make hearts--
i beat blood into my pale
palms as a promise to 
always read the clouds--
listen to their 
commotion as they 
ascend-- make stair cases
of the shingles-- slide
down lamp posts on
main street-- touch down
to earth-- a thick fog
of tails & tomorrow--
tomorrow will i get
to be a cloud-- 
i want hollow bones 
& a larger wing span--
i want to be mistaken for
a magpie & a snowy owl--
feathers of oak leaf
& snowfall--
everything is melting 
isn't it?
me & you & the
animals born 
each morning from
an unsuspecting cloud--
are we then the parents?
the guardians of
so many sets of eyes 
& hind legs setting
forth to peruse 
the dirt-- kiss mud into
water-- slip into
puddles as deep
as rivers-- 
today the clouds are
rapid-- chasing each other
home-- i follow them 
in my car until
they hide beneath
the hem of the horizon 
as the sun becomes
an oreo cookie
dunked in a clear glass
of milk--
sweet cream & crumbling--
i can taste chocolate
when we kiss-- when you 
run a hand through
my hair & realize
how volatile this
body is-- an assembly of
vapors-- yes i traded
my flesh for the 
same body as the cloud animals--
i wanted to run at
the command of
the wind-- i wanted you
to look at me &
tell me what i should
be-- a giraffe--
a blue whale-- a hand 
clutching
a silver dollar--
a plump crooked nose--
come stand outside
in the fog & the mist
& wait for me to come
down the staircase--
hair still damp from
a midnight shower--
my checkerboard boxers
all green & white & blue--
i'll stand there &
wait for you to 
make a cloud of me
all the while
the storm gathers enough
hooves pour--
kiss me when i'm grey
& illegible--
careful of what you
see in me--
i might be a snake 
or a fern tree or
simply a boy
who dissapears
on occasion into
cloud