Thread

– Poetry by Mark Gordon,  “Tangled” by Stephan Vasement –

Thread

It was a thread
that ran through the years
a word here and there
though she abandoned sewing
long ago

I was a tattered mess
but something in her bearing
carried me along
a song without words
that I never wrote down

And now she is gone
but that something remains
a glance, a smile,
an evening sonata
when I whisper her name

Influence

I used to live under the influence of
concrete and glass, the sound
of bulldozers dragging me down
to a place that pulls at the ankles
a dank, dark dungeon
where the old heart clanks

Now I live under the influence
of wave upon wave of geese
in their seasons
lifting me up to where the traffic
is thin, where instincts
guide me to the next lake

And soon I will live or not live
under the influence of endless sleep
or a heavenly meeting
with the Spirit that threw
the stars in our path
gave each galaxy its loving light

Bring on whatever is the end
of this short visit to planet earth.
I have packed no swimming suit
no toothbrush or Viagra
but am fully prepared
for what happens next
and the influence I’ll live under