biennial bears fruits

Murray and Etheline: growing
up the walls and throwing out
the life, dear love, that soaks in my
hair and beads on your neck.

Murray and Etheline: growing
orange flared trumpets, feed the flies
and bees – lies
and creeds – that, dear friend, you bleed
when you bleed and bruise
when you bruise.

'Urray and Metheline rally for the sun
as much as the shade. They barter
for water, drink it
in their souls and spit it
in our books.

Dear loves, hold us in your happys and sads
and include us
in your talks, 'cause we give not enough
of what we should
but want to die
as if we did.

Murray and Etheline: afraid
that the spider
barreling through the rain
drops will learn that they know. Keep still
when the sun and moon sound them. Sit
at our table, dear, and choose to keep
the secrets
the Fates commanded –

the heart and soul we gave them
to keep from each other.