Coagulation

COAGULATION

Gray summer half spent,
still stinging
from the hum of the highway,
I love
to drive into our alley
and be greeted sweet
by the voices of our children
at play,
upon the raised emerald lawn;
hunting for fat cats
and a golden dog
that hide behind fruit trees,
roses, and tall tomato bushes.

Home,
like baked bread
and love,
was denied me
for decades.

Having it now
with you
still overwhelms me;
watching our house become
habitable;
where the children sit astride
new furniture
as if it were old saddles,
spending time
watching television,
reading books,
and staring wide eyed
out our huge picture window.

Excited,
determined,
and resolute,
we move in tandem,
like parallel portions
of the same wave,
hearts clasped horizontally,
rolling high
together
toward some distant reef
or white sparkling beach;
swelling huge
into a Family;
pounding across the bare ground
and leaving our mark
for all to see.


Glenn Buttkus 1993